Will Djokovic 'mess Up' Sinner-alcaraz Duopoly?

US Open 2025

Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 24 August-7 September

Coverage: Live power commentaries crossed 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, positive unrecorded matter commentaries connected nan BBC Sport website & app

Third-wheeling is thing caller to Novak Djokovic.

When nan 38-year-old first emerged arsenic a unit successful nan precocious 2000s, he was nan outsider looking to break up nan cosy coupling of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Nearly 20 years later, Djokovic again finds himself squeezed retired astatine nan apical of nan men's game.

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz - some person to Djokovic's 11-year-old boy Stefan successful property than to nan Serb himself - are nan latest brace dominating nan sport.

If Djokovic is going to defy anticipation - and logic - by winning nan US Open title, he will person to hit 2nd seed Alcaraz successful Friday's semi-finals and past perchance apical seed Sinner successful Sunday's showpiece.

"Everybody is astir apt expecting and anticipating nan last betwixt nan 2 of them," said Djokovic, who has reached nan semi-finals astatine each 4 fields this year.

"I'm going to effort to messiness up nan plans of astir of nan people."

Djokovic not only caught nan 2 uncatchable men successful Federer and Nadal - he surpassed them both.

Now he is known arsenic nan top of each time, pinch 24 awesome titles, 40 Masters victories and 428 weeks arsenic world number 1 to his name.

The desire to play gooseberry remains arsenic beardown arsenic ever.

Sinner, 24, and Alcaraz, 22, person carved up nan past 7 Grand Slams betwixt them, pinch cipher other winning a awesome since Djokovic astatine nan 2023 US Open.

Going into nan last awesome of nan year, fewer predicted Djokovic - aliases anyone - could forestall Sinner and Alcaraz from completing different almanac sweep.

But seventh seed Djokovic and Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime, competing successful his 2nd Grand Slam semi-final, are nan only 2 near opinionated successful their way.

Djokovic mightiness still person an bonzer talent, pedigree and will to triumph but, arsenic property catches him up, he nary longer has nan vitality he erstwhile did.

Physical issues person been evident successful New York, though he has ever recovered a measurement to win.

"It's not going to get easier, I show you that," Djokovic said aft Tuesday's quarter-final triumph complete Taylor Fritz.

"The adjacent mates of days is really cardinal for maine to get my assemblage successful style and fresh to conflict 5 sets if it's needed."

Djokovic had nan added use of 2 days to retrieve betwixt his quarter-final and semi-final matches, opting not to believe connected either Wednesday aliases Thursday.

Recently-retired American subordinate Ryan Harrison deed pinch Djokovic earlier nan Fritz match, seeing nan veteran's "remarkable" fittingness levels adjacent up.

"At this shape of his career, he talks a batch astir wanting his assemblage to beryllium fresh to go," Harrison told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Before hitting pinch him, he was successful nan gym getting fresh and nan warm-up was astatine slightest 45 minutes.

"He spent much clip getting fresh for nan deed past we did retired there."

Djokovic has showed he tin spell to different level against Alcaraz erstwhile he needs to.

In August 2024, he bulldozed nan Spaniard successful a Olympic last played complete 3 sets and showed singular courageousness to hit Alcaraz successful January's Australian Open quarter-final contempt being hampered by injury.

"He is playing awesome matches here, I cognize he's quiet and I cognize his ambition for much [titles]," Alcaraz said.

As Djokovic clutched his 24th awesome trophy 2 years ago, runner-up Daniil Medvedev posed a tongue-in-cheek question.

"When are you readying to slow down a small bit?" he asked.

The 1990s-cohort - led by Medvedev, Fritz, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas - person regularly played Djokovic complete 5 sets pinch a deference bordering connected fear.

His technique, mentality and aura beryllium excessively large an obstacle.

But Sinner and Alcaraz play pinch little worry than their predecessors. Djokovic will cognize he needs to play smart - particularly successful nan defining moments.

Djokovic has go progressively reliant connected his serve, limiting nan request to waste and acquisition from nan baseline wherever necessary.

Not only has Djokovic won 92% of his work games successful New York - nan third-highest tally successful nan men's tie - but he besides saved 73% of break points he has faced, which is classed ninth.

The bad news for Djokovic? Those statistic are led by Sinner and Alcaraz, who person besides won much return games than nan four-time US Open champion.

"I was really impressed pinch his tennis level. I deliberation that nan mobility lies physically," said Britain's Cameron Norrie, who mislaid successful 4 sets to Djokovic successful nan 3rd round.

"I was playing truthful good this tournament, emotion nan shot well, but he managed nan lucifer highly well.

"My level is simply a different level to Alcaraz and Sinner, though. To do that back-to-back is simply a different benignant of challenge."