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Novak Djokovic has once again suggested that he is not 100% fit after his win over Taylor Fritz at the US Open, but he has vowed that he is “not going with the white flag on the court” when he faces Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final.

The 24-time Grand Slam has struggled with several niggles – from blisters to a back injury to a shoulder problem – so far at the hard-court major, but he is safely into the last four after he maintained his unblemished record against Fritz.

Djokovic increased his lead in their head-to-head rivalry to 11-0, but he did drop a set against the American before winning 6-3, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

Aged 38, the former world No 1 would have loved to wrap it up in three sets, but he acknowledged that Fritz was the better player for most of the second and third sets and, in the end, he was happy to get the win.

“It was an incredibly close match. It was really anybody’s match. I thought I was lucky to really save crucial breakpoints in the second set,” the four-time US Open champion said.

“For most of the second and third set he was the better player. In these kinds of matches, few points decide the winner. It was fortunately coming on my side, particularly at the end of the fourth set.”

He will return to action on Friday for the semi-final against Alcaraz in what will be their ninth career meeting. The veteran leads their H2H 5-3 with his two most recent wins coming at this year’s Australian Open and the gold medal match of the 2024 Paris Olympics last August.

Djokovic, though, is starting to feel his age.

“Good thing about the schedule is now that I have two days without a match, so that helps a lot,” he said. “So I don’t feel very fresh at the moment. But hopefully in two days will be different.

The seventh seed added: “It’s not going to get easier, I tell you that. But look, as I said, I’m going to try to take one day at a time, really take care of my body, try to relax and recover.

“The next couple of days is really key for me to really get my body in shape and ready to battle five sets if it’s needed. So I just would really love that, would love to be fit enough to play and to play, you know, potentially five sets with Carlos. And I know that my best tennis is going to be required, but I rise to the occasion.

“Normally, I like to play the big matches on a big stage. It’s just that I’m not really sure how the body is going to feel in the next few days. But, you know, I’m going to do my very best with my team to be fit for that. There’s going to be a lot of running involved, that’s for sure. I mean, there’s not going to be short points.”

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Alcaraz and defending US Open champion Jannik Sinner were the two pre-tournament favourites and many believe they will meet in the final at Flushing Meadows. Should the form book hold, it will be their third consecutive Grand Slam final as Alcaraz won their showpiece match at Roland Garros before Sinner turned the tables at Wimbledon.

Djokovic, though, wants to spoil the party.

“We don’t need to spend words about two of them. You know, we know that they’re two best players in the world,” he said.

“Everybody’s probably expecting and anticipating the finals between two of them. I’m going to try to, you know, mess up the plans of most of the people and let’s see, you know, Sinner still has to win a couple of matches to get to the finals, but they are playing definitely the best tennis of any player here.

“They’ve been the dominant force since the beginning of the tournament, but, you know, I definitely am not going with the white flag on the court. I don’t think anybody does, really, when they play them, but particularly not me.

“I put myself in another semi-final of a Grand Slam this year. I’ve been very consistent, mostly consistent on the Slams this season, and that’s what I said at the beginning of the year, where I would like to perform my best tennis and make the best results.”

The post Novak Djokovic ready to ruin Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner ‘plans’ despite ‘not feeling fresh’ confession appeared first on Tennis365.

The past few weeks have been difficult for Coco Gauff as the extra training she spent on court to fix her serve had been mentally and physically taxing, but she is determined to continue to learn on the job.

Following her decision to part ways with Matt Daly after the Cincinnati Open in order to bring in biomechanical coach Gavin MacMillan, Gauff was forced to put in the hard yards ahead of the US Open, as the main goal is to completely change her service motion.

But the two-week period between the WTA 1000 event and the US Open was never going to be long enough for such a big change, and the two-time Grand Slam winner struggled during the season-ending Grand Slam.

After needing three sets to defeat Ajla Tomljanovic in the first round, she revealed that the training with MacMillan was often brutal as her shoulder would hurt after sessions.

There were also tears during her second-round win over Donna Vekic and following her two-set fourth-round defeat to Naomi Osaka, she admitted that she broke down following her exit in New York.

Some suggested the 21-year-old should take an extended break – both to recharge and to continue working with MacMillan – but Gauff has confirmed that she will head to Asia later in September for the China Open.

“I have no choice but to do a training block between now and Beijing, just the next tournament I’m signed up for,” she said.

“And like, I’ve said this every year after US Open, for me, it’s just improvement mode and to get ready for Australia. I had good results last year after US Open, and I think that’s just because I didn’t, I don’t want to say didn’t care because those tournaments obviously deserve effort, but I don’t know, it’s just that your mindset is different once the Slams are over.”

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Gauff is the defending champion in Beijing and that 2024 title run came at the perfect time as she struggled during the North American hard-court swing, failing to defend her Cincinnati and US Open titles, before turning her season around with her second WTA 1000 title.

The American followed that up with the WTA Finals title in Saudi Arabia in November.

The reigning French Open champion added: “So whatever happens for the rest of the year, I just want it to be an improvement. I don’t care, results-wise. Last year, if he told me I would go win in Beijing and WTA Finals, I would have been like, whatever, as I didn’t really care going into it.

“I’m going to probably have that same mindset. And if I do well, I’ll do well like I did last year. And if not, if not. But I think for me, main improvements I get are from how I do in the Slams.”

The post Will Coco Gauff take a break after US Open exit to work on her serve? appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz has confirmed he will continue his unusual post-match routine after he stormed into the semi-finals with a thrilling win against Jiri Lehecka.

Alcaraz moved into the semi-finals of a Grand Slam without dropping a set for the first time in his career and he has followed an unconventional plan between his matches at Flushing Meadows.

Eyebrows were raised when Alcaraz played golf with Andy Murray and Tim Henman during Wimbledon in July, but it didn’t appear to impact his performance as he made it through to another final at the All England Club.

Now he is following a similar script, after revealing he has played golf on each of his days off at the US Open, even though some may suggest playing a very different sport during a Grand Slam tournament is something of a risk.

Golfers can suffer from back issues from playing too much, but Alcaraz is eager to get back onto the course and he is set to play with Spanish legend Sergio Garcia.

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“I am 100% going to play golf,” declared Alcaraz after his 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win against Lehecka.

“It’s something that is working well, so why should I change the routine? Every day off I just go to try and play some golf. Tomorrow I have a really difficult round with Sergio Garcia. I will play, for sure.

“He has to give me ten of 15 shots, I think. I’m not that great Sergio, come on.”

Former Masters champion Garcia was in the crowd watching Alcaraz turn on the style to beat Lehecka in front of a packed crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova was among those expressing her surprise at Alcaraz’s relaxation methods, with the traditionalists suggesting he should use his two days off before the semi-final to relax and ensure he is ready for action on Friday.

Yet Alcaraz believes his method of switching off from tennis gives him his best chance to succeed.

“I love hitting the golf ball as well and he has found the perfect balance for himself,” Navratilova told Sky Sports.

“That speaks for his state of mind. He is mature enough to know what he needs to do now and it will help his longevity as well.”

When asked to give Alcaraz a grade for his performance against Lehecka, Navratilova didn’t hold back as she gave him top marks.

“It’s all A’s for Alcaraz in this tournament so far,” she added. “He can only play as well as his opponent forces him to play, but he’s clicking on all cylinders so far.

“He is playing better with every match and winning comfortably.”

Former British No 1 Tim Henman was also impressed with Alcaraz, as he claimed the joy he brings onto court helps him to perform at his best.

“He is playing with such freedom out there,” said Henman on Sky Sports. “At times, it feels like an exhibition out there, as he is playing with so much joy.

“He is challenging himself to come up with better shots to impress himself and entertain his team. It was just a magical performance.”

Alcaraz’s is coming to the boil perfectly and he will now have a couple of days off to play golf before he lights up the US Open stage once again in the semi-finals.

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The post Carlos Alcaraz set to play golf with former Masters champion ahead of US Open semi-final appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu secured a raft of big-money sponsorship deals after her US Open win in 2021 and she continues to attract interest from leading brands.

Dior, Porsche, Tiffany, British Airways, Vodafone and Evian were among the marquee brands that wanted to be a part of the Raducanu story, but the success in August 2021 was not backed up by success on court.

Injuries and a dip in form saw Raducanu slide down the WTA Rankings and it took her almost four years to find her feet on the senior tour after her initial breakthrough.

Now Raducanu is starting to climb the rankings again, with her current career path putting a more realistic perspective on her ambitions on court.

The money is still rolling in off court as well, as she is still attached to some of the brands that initially added her as an ambassador back in 2021 and she remains an attractive option for new clients.

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Her 2.9m followers on Instagram make her a big tennis influencer and she used her time in New York around the US Open to film an advert for her latest sponsor, sustainable personal care brand Wild.

The brand unveiled Raducanu as their new brand ambassador with a glossy new advert, which was filmed at West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York.

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Raducanu was criticised for taking on too many sponsorship deals in the initial stages of her career, but she stated at the back end of last year that she has learned from her initial errors to ensure her focus will always be on tennis.

“Especially straight after I did really well, for the next few years it was very much like there was so much communication about things off the court,” said Raducanu.

“And I would always, always give my 100 per cent on the court. I was always working really hard, but I just think that I wasn’t prepared as well for the other things that inevitably do take some energy out of you.

“I think now I’m a lot more structured. I’ll be like: ‘OK, I have this time where one hour we will talk about business. And now I’m going to go train for the rest of the week’.

“Also I think I’ve learned how to say no a bit more. Initially, I felt really bad for letting people down. I’d always want to do extra for whatever partner or magazine or whatever I’m shooting for.”

Raducanu’s career earnings on court current stands at a little over $5.5m, with her sponsorship income of the last four years certain to have been much more than that.

The Brit suffered a disappointing exit at the US Open as she was well beaten by Elena Rybakina in the third round, but her star power is enduring.

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The post Emma Raducanu seals lucrative new sponsorship deal as brands continue to flock to British No 1 appeared first on Tennis365.

A different Jannik Sinner emerged on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night and we were given a chilling warning of what was to come before a ball was struck.

There was great anticipation ahead of Sinner’s re-match against Alexander Bublik, with the Kazakhstan player the last to beat Sinner in a completed match when he got the better of him at the Halle grass court event in June.

Sinner was reminded of that defeat when he spoke to Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, prior to the last-16 clash in New York and he rounded off the discussion by saying: “Now it’s time for revenge.”

A comment like that would generally be given with a smile, but Sinner made the comment with all the menace of a James Bond villain and the mindset he had when he took to the court confirmed he was serious.

From first point to last, Sinner put a less than fully fit Bublik to the sword and he showed no mercy with his dismantling of the world No 17.

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The response from Bublik was laced with humour as he suggested Sinner was “AI-generated” as he said: “You’re so good, this is insane. I’m not bad.”

In response, Sinner suggested his opponent was at less than full pace after his long and draining match against Tommy Paul in the previous round.

“He had a very tough match the last match,” said Sinner. “He didn’t serve as well as he usually does. I’m very happy. The first time this year I can play the night match here and it makes so, so big difference.”

He also commented on Bublik’s less-than-committed performance as he appeared to give up long before the end of the match as he added: “Sometimes we have some days off, where certain things don’t work. Some players have some problems behind the scenes, you never know.

“At the end of the day we try to make the sport as interesting as possible. At times I felt today I was playing some great tennis.

“I managed to break him very early. It gave me then the confidence to serve a little bit better and play from the back of the court a bit better.

“It was a fast match but at the same time from my point of view it is good. People come here to see some great tennis matches, some great battles and it’s not always that is the case.

“I don’t know what he said or if he was in here, but I can just judge from my point of view and how I managed to play and it was a good performance from my side.”

Sinner prima del match contro Bublik ha scambiato qualche chiacchiera con Anna Wintour e Rami Malek #USOpen pic.twitter.com/Ost0reasAL

— SuperTennis TV (@SuperTennisTv) September 1, 2025

Bublik had not faced a single break in the 59 times he served at this US Open until this match, but Sinner took precisely two minutes to break him and he didn’t take his foot off the pedal for the rest of the match.

All this after tennis aficionados looked forward to this match with an expectation that Sinner may be vulnerable after his uncharacteristically lacklustre display against Denis Shapovalov in the previous round.

The Italian suggested he was “not a machine” when questions came about his dip in form after that match, but it was clear that he was a man on a mission against Bublik.

Any suggestions that his dominance was waning were banished in a blitz of brilliance that confirmed he is still the man to beat on a hard court, as he extended his Grand Slam winning run on the surface to 25 matches.

And while Sinner is generally saluted as being a champion who is polite and generous to his opponents, that comment offered up to Wintour highlighted the champion mindset he brings with him into battle.

We may be heading towards another Sinner showdown with his great rival Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s US Open final and if that is to be the finale of this compelling tournament, the reigning champion will be ready for battle.

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The post Jannik Sinner’s pre-match ‘revenge’ comment gave an insight into his killer mindset appeared first on Tennis365.

Former world No 1 Justine Henin has proclaimed that the “lack of evolution” in Coco Gauff’s game worries her after the American star’s exit from the 2025 US Open.

Gauff suffered a crushing 3-6, 2-6 defeat to 23rd seed and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the last 16 at Flushing Meadows in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.

In a lopsided contest, Gauff hit eight winners, but lost a mammoth 33 of the 88 points in the match with unforced errors, five of which were double faults.

The world No 3 won only 54% of her service points as she was broken four times in her nine service games by her Japanese rival.

Former world No 1 Osaka won 94% of points behind her first serve and lost only six of 38 total points on her serve, while she had only one service game where she lost more than a single point.

In the week before the US Open, Gauff took the big decision to replace her coach Matt Daly with biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan — with the aim of solving her serving struggles.

The 21-year-old, who is a two-time major winner, changed her service motion despite the short window before her home Grand Slam tournament began.

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Gauff showed immense resilience to battle through major issues with her game and stress in her first two matches against Ajla Tomljanovic and Donna Vekic before claiming a routine third round win over Magdalena Frech.

Speaking to Eurosport France, Henin described Gauff’s forehand as “catastrophic” against Osaka as she voiced her concerns over the American’s development.

“Osaka did what she had to do by also playing with her experience,” said the Belgian tennis legend, who won seven Grand Slam titles.

“She didn’t have to force her talent today either, showing solidity and being present.

“We felt from the start of the match that Coco Gauff had fallen back into her old ways, not especially in terms of her serve but in terms of her forehand, it was catastrophic.

“Obviously, this enormous pressure at the US Open is special for her, but I still think overall, over the whole season, and not so much on the results, what worries me is the lack of evolution in her game. At that age, you’re still progressing, you’re still developing.”

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The post Former world No 1 brands key area of Coco Gauff’s game ‘catastrophic’ – and it’s not her serve appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu has made some real progress in recent months and that has been reflected in her ranking, but her rise was halted after a third round exit at the US Open.

The British No 1 is closing in on a return to the top 30 of the WTA Rankings and if she holds on to that position heading into 2026, she will be on course to secure a seeding in the Australian Open.

Yet her crushing defeat against Elena Rybakina left Raducanu fearing she still had a lot of work to do to compete with the very best players in the women’s game.

“When the very top play against me, they have a point to prove that they’re at the top, and they’re there for a reason,” said the 2021 US Open champion

“While I’m improving, doing better, gaining maybe some more respect around, the top have definitely raised their game. Every time I’ve played one, they’ve kind of shown that.

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“I’ll take that as a compliment that they’ve decided to really lock in against me, but at the same time it does show I have a lot more work to do.”

“It’s going to be important to just look at the last few months as a whole and the improvements that I’m making, because a match like that can easily kind of get you down if you let it. I’m going to try not to do that, regroup and just work hard.”

Raducanu will need a handful of wins in the upcoming Asian swing on the WTA Tour to get herself into a seeded position for the Australian Open, with the level of tennis she was producing prior to the Rybakina defeat suggesting she is climbing the ladder to the top once again.

Her place in the tennis pecking order may be better reflected in the UTR Rankings, which use a calculation that reflects current form rather than the rolling 52-week ranking used by the WTA Tour.

The UTR Rankings are based on the current form from the last few weeks and months rather than reflecting results that occurred up to a year ago, with the system created to promote fair and competitive play across the tennis world.

All players, regardless of age, gender, geography, or skill level, are rated on the same scale between 1.00 and 16.50 based on actual match results.

The UTR Ranking is open to players of all levels of the game, and the algorithm used provides an intriguing insight into the current form of the top players in the game.

Victories against higher-ranked players are worth more in the UTR list than the official ATP or WTA Ranking, meaning they offer a more accurate reflection of the current form at the top of the game.

Raducanu had broken into the top 10 of the UTR Rankings and was sitting in ninth position after two comfortable wins in the opening rounds at the US Open, but she has slipped down to No 11 following the Rybakina match.

The rankings are likely to change again following Coco Gauff’s defeat against Naomi Osaka at the US Open, with Gauff currently holding top spot in the rankings ahead of Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka ahead of the next update.

UTR Ranking (September 2 2025)

1. Coco Gauff

2. Aryna Sabalenka

3. Iga Swiatek

4. Elena Rybakina

5. Ekaterina Alexandrova

6. Mirra Andreeva

7. Zheng Qinwen

8. Marketa Vondrousova

9. Elina Svitolina

10. Jessica Pegula

11. Emma Raducanu

12. Naomi Osaka

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Alexander Zverev suffered another blow in his quest to win a maiden Grand Slam title at the 2025 US Open, and acclaimed tennis coach Rick Macci believes the German’s mentality is holding him back.

The world No 3 suffered a surprise 6-4, 6-7(7), 4-6, 4-6 defeat to world No 27 Felix Auger-Aliassime in three hours and 49 minutes in the third round at Flushing Meadows.

It was Zverev‘s second successive early exit at a Grand Slam after he fell in the opening round of Wimbledon to Arthur Rinderknech last month. The German’s quarter-final loss to Novak Djokovic at this year’s French Open was his earliest loss at Roland Garros since 2020.

Zverev’s dip in form at the majors comes after he lost in straight sets to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final in January.

That Melbourne blow was Zverev’s third defeat in as many Grand Slam championship matches after five-set losses to Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 French Open and Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open.

The rise of Sinner and Alcaraz, who have won the last seven majors between them, means Zverev’s hopes of winning a Grand Slam appear bleaker than ever.

In an exclusive interview with Tennis365, Macci gave his verdict on whether the 28-year-old German can still win a Grand Slam title.

“It’s possible,” said the former coach of Venus and Serena Williams. “It’s possible because he’s rock solid off the ground. The forehand can be a little dicey at times. He has one of the best serves, he moves great, defends great for a big guy.

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“I don’t know what goes on sometimes with him mentally. He kind of is in and out a little bit.

“But he’s capable and if there would have been anybody that I thought would have visited that neighbourhood (winning a major), he would have been the one because he has the serve and he’s solid off the ground and he moves well.

“So it’ll be interesting to see if he can flip the script. But then again everybody else is getting better. I don’t know, mentally he just seems like sometimes he goes away too easily. And to be great, you gotta be there every point.”

Asked if Zverev’s collaboration with renowned coach Toni Nadal could help, Macci said: “Absolutely, it can’t hurt.

“But once again, it depends on what the person’s saying, how you’re receiving it. Are you gonna apply it? What little modifications or adaptations are you gonna make to your game?”

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The post Alexander Zverev told what is stopping him from winning a Grand Slam by Serena Williams’ ex-coach appeared first on Tennis365.

Consistency is key — just ask Carlos Alcaraz.

The world No 2 and five-time Grand Slam champion has been in dominant form in recent months and has sailed through to his fourth US Open quarter-final this week.

Alcaraz’s rivalry with Jannik Sinner has often seen him labelled as inconsistent compared to the Italian, though that narrative should begin to change after the most impressive spell of the 22-year-old’s career to date.

Here, we look at five key stats that will silence Alcaraz’s ‘consistency’ critics.

Four Grand Slam quarter-finals

For the first time in his career, Alcaraz has reached at least the last eight of all four majors in an individual season.

A straight-sets victory over Arthur Rinderknech on Sunday fired the Spaniard into the last eight in New York, twelve months on from a shock second-round loss to Botic van de Zandschulp.

Earlier this season, Alcaraz reached the Australian Open quarter-finals before winning his second straight French Open title and reaching his third straight Wimbledon final.

Aged 22 years and 11 days, only Pete Sampras (1993) and Rafael Nadal (2008) have achieved this feat at a younger age than Alcaraz, who has already achieved 21 wins at Grand Slam level this year.

That is already ahead of his previous personal best of 19 major match wins recorded last season, with Alcaraz still able to finish 2025 with a maximum of 24 match wins.

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Zero sets dropped

Of the eight men’s singles quarter-finalists in New York, Alcaraz stands out as the only man yet to drop a set in Flushing Meadows.

In fact, he has only twice dropped more than four games in a set — in the second set of his opening match against Reilly Opelka, and his first set against Rinderknech on Sunday.

In the past, Alcaraz has been accused of drifting or losing concentration during matches and dropping multiple sets through his early matches at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

However, he has been relentless in New York this week, particularly during his second and third-round matches against Mattia Bellucci and 32nd seed Luciano Darderi.

Against the two Italians, he dropped a combined 10 games across two ruthless performances.

Finals streak

This has already been Alcaraz’s joint-most successful season in terms of titles won, with six titles won to match his haul from across the entirety of 2023.

However, it is his recent streak of consecutive finals that is most striking.

After losing in his opening match of the Miami Open to David Goffin in March, the 22-year-old has now reached the final of his next seven events, as of the Cincinnati Open.

Alcaraz beat Lorenzo Musetti to seal his first Monte Carlo Masters title in April, before defeat to Holger Rune in the Barcelona Open final.

He then withdrew from Madrid, but then beat key rival Jannik Sinner in both the Italian Open and French Open finals, before victory over Jiri Lehecka at the Queen’s Club.

The world No 2 then tasted defeat to Sinner at Wimbledon, though prevailed in Cincinnati after the Italian’s retirement.

Match record

Alcaraz’s recent streak is evident through his run of finals, but it becomes even more apparent when you look at his sheer volume of wins during that time.

Since his loss to Goffin in Miami, the 22-year-old has won a staggering 43 of his 45 most recent matches — a win rate of 95.56% in that time.

The only people to beat him are Rune in Barcelona and Sinner at Wimbledon, with an impressive nine of his 43 wins coming against top-10 players.

2025 win percentage

Even before his incredible run, Alcaraz’s 2025 season as a whole has been solid enough to highlight just how good he has been this year.

Until the start of the clay swing, the Spaniard held a 15-4 record, with his most notable success being his first-ever indoor title at the Rotterdam Open in February.

Ahead of his US Open quarter-final against Lehecka, Alcaraz holds an astonishing win rate of 90.63% for 2025 so far.

Though he still has the conclusion of his New York campaign and the remaining two months of the season to come, he is on track for his highest-ever win percentage.

Alcaraz’s previous best win percentage came in 2023, when he won 84.42% (65-12) of his matches, with an 80.33% (49-12) record in 2024.

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The post How Carlos Alcaraz silenced ‘consistency’ critics with stunning 2025 form appeared first on Tennis365.

Novak Djokovic’s retirement date has appeared to be close for much of 2025, but former world No 1 Jim Courier has a theory explaining why the Serbian great may extend his career into another year.

Djokovic, 38, has played a greatly reduced schedule this season, skipping most ATP Tour events and focusing all his attention on Grand Slams.

That has reaped some rewards, with the most successful male player of all-time reaching the semi-finals of the first three major tournaments this season despite his lack of match practice.

That would be considered to be a magnificent result for most players, but Djokovic has admitted he is only extending his career to win a 25th Grand Slam title and claim the record for the most major title wins.

He is currently tied with female legend Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam wins, with that 25th title now the last great goal of his career.

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Novak Djokovic admits he is ‘more concerned than I have ever been’ after US Open injury scare

“Biological age is not something that I guess you can reverse,” said Djokovic. “I still feel like I have a game left in me, you know to play at the highest level.

“As I said before several times, as long as I have that feeling of really that that level is still alive, I feel like I want to keep going and I want to keep pushing myself to see whether I can have a shot at another Slam.

“I’m asking myself questions, of course, more nowadays than I have ever before in terms of, how long do I want to keep going at this level? How do I want to approach my schedule to kind of extend my career?”

“I might get a little bit more philosophical again when I finish the tournament, but I’ll try to focus on the next challenge here.”

That last comment sparked suggestions that Djokovic may be pondering quitting tennis at the end of this US Open, with the four-and-a-half-month wait until the next Grand Slam in Australia, yet Courier has a theory that may see Djokovic continue into 2026.

As he watched Djokovic beat Jan-Lennard Struff to reach this year’s US Open quarter-finals, four-time Grand Slam singles champion Courier believes a final trip to Australia may appeal to the Serbian after a miserable exit last January.

Djokovic was booed off court after he was forced to quit his Australian Open semi-final due to injury, with Courier suggesting he would not want that to be his final memory of his most successful tournament.

“My personal feeling, and it’s not rooted in any facts, just feelings,” said Courier. “My feeling is that Djokovic had such a bad taste in his mouth leaving his most successful tournament when he had to stop playing because he was seriously injured in the semi-finals.

“He played a competitive set against (Alexander) Zverev, lost it and then shook hands. Then he, the ten-time champion, was booed off court and it was Zverev who had to defend his honour in a post-match interview. It was not well done by the crowd.

“So my view is he would want to go back and play Australia at least one more time and get a proper send off. That’s what I want for him. I don’t know if that’s what he wants.

“Can you imagine (Roger) Federer playing at Wimbledon, he had to default and the fans boo him? Can you imagine? The same with (Rafa) Nadal at Roland Garros.
“Ten times that Djokovic has won that tournament in Australia. No one is even close. It was wild.”

If Djokovic wins his 25th Grand Slam title in the US Open final on Sunday, few would be surprised were he to instantly announce he is ending his incredible tennis journey.

If he loses in his quarter-final against Taylor Fritz or in a potential semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz or final against defending champion Jannik Sinner, the debate over what comes next for this enduringly brilliant champion will begin in earnest.

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