There’s a nagging question hanging over the head of 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic when he walks into Arthur Ashe Stadium for his US Open fourth round match against German Jan-Lennard Struff on Sunday night.
Will his 38-year old body withstand the rigors of another best-of-five-set match?
Recently, that answer has been... maybe.
“In terms of how I'm feeling, it really goes up and down, to be honest,” the four-time US Open champion candidly admitted. “Yeah, it's frustrating for me, honestly, that I'm not able to feel 100% always like I have for 20-plus years. But yeah, I guess the circumstances are quite different and I have to get used to the fact that every match there's something that might happen as it has been the case this year [at] pretty much every slam.”
History this year and last has substantiated the Serb’s own uncertainty about his fitness starting and finishing any match:
- Djokovic withdrew after one set in the 2025 Australian Open semifinal match against Alexander Zverev with a torn hamstring.
- The Serb was clearly hobbled with his movement with a groin injury in his 2025 Wimbledon semifinal loss to Jannik Sinner.
- He acknowledged after losing in the semifinals to Sinner that he was nursing a leg injury throughout the 2025 French Open.
- In 2024, Djokovic pulled out of the Roland Garros quarterfinals after tearing the meniscus in his right knee that required surgery.
- This week, he had to have medical treatment during two of his first three wins. In a tough four set win over Cameron Norrie on Friday, he left the court for treatment after tweaking his back on an awkward shot at the net.
Always one of the fittest players throughout his Hall-of-Fame career, Djokovic admitted that there is not much more he can do to hold back the hands of time.
“If the body doesn't listen to me when I go deep in the Grand Slam tournaments—as it was kind of the case last few slams—then that's a hard one to swallow for me, because I know the amount of hours I'm putting in daily to care for my body, but at the same time, you know, biological age is not something that I guess you can reverse, and it is what it is,” he said.
Despite all, Djokovic is the oldest man to reach the fourth round at Flushing Meadows since Jimmy Connors was the same age in 1991.
“It’s just fantastic how good he’s playing,” said the 35-year-old Struff, who is 0-7 in his career against Djokovic. “He shows us all that you can play long tennis and very, very good tennis at his age.”
Said Djokovic: “The wear and tear on the body all these years is taking a toll, and I'm aware of it, but I'm resisting it. You know, I'm trying to do my best to still be out there competing with the young guys in the highest level.”
That positive attitude of his abilities to continue to challenge Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and the game’s other top players for more Grand Slam crowns is his motivation to keep playing for the immediate future.
“I still feel like I have 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, really,—if that level is still alive, is still present—I feel like I want to keep going. I want to keep pushing myself to see, you know, whether I can have a shot at another slam or, you know, any big tournaments,” he said.
