New York (AFP) – Since Novak Djokovic last lifted the US Open trophy in 2023 to tie Margaret Court with a 24th Grand Slam title, the Serbian superstar has relentlessly pursued record-breaking number 25. That so-far futile quest hasn’t made the 39-year-old immune to the pleasures of the lesser milestones he’s piling up along the way. Djokovic is poised for his 20th US Open appearance, a mark that only three other men — Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, and Feliciano Lopez — have achieved.
“I’m very proud of that,” Djokovic said Saturday as he prepared to take on Argentina’s Mariano Navone on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday. “Obviously longevity was always one of the goals when I was younger, trying to have a long career, trying to have more shots at Grand Slams, and stay healthy long enough so that I can perform for as many years as possible,” Djokovic said.
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But it’s not just about surviving, and with world number one Jannik Sinner sidelined by a knee injury and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz something of an unknown quantity as he returns from a four-month injury absence, Djokovic could find his path to a 25th major crown eased somewhat. Djokovic has had 11 chances to break the Grand Slam record, reaching two finals and half a dozen other semi-finals since equalling Court’s mark.
He went toe-to-toe with Sinner in a five-set semi-final win in Australia this year before falling to Alcaraz in the final, and after a third-round exit at Roland Garros, went down to eventual champion Sinner in the semis at Wimbledon. After pulling out of the Montreal Masters, Djokovic struggled in his Cincinnati opener, where he acknowledged the heat and humidity made whatever physical problems he was battling worse.
“I don’t like early losses anywhere, to be honest, but it gave me time to be preparing for the US Open in a most adequate way,” Djokovic said. “I had two weeks to really train and get my body and mind into the right state, prepared for what’s coming up. So it remains to be seen. If you ask me if I’m prepared, I feel like I am, as best I can be. But it’s different training and then getting out on the Arthur Ashe Stadium and playing best-of-five (sets). You don’t normally play best-of-five on the practice sessions.”
Djokovic, seeded fourth, will be a heavy favorite against 48th-ranked Navone. But Djokovic is well aware of the danger any opponent can pose as he seeks to become the oldest man to win a Grand Slam title — a mark that belongs now to Australian Ken Rosewall, who was 37 when he won the Australian Open in 1972.
“Let’s see how it goes,” Djokovic said. “The opening matches are always, for me, particularly in the last few years, quite challenging. So hopefully I can overcome the first hurdle and build from there.”
© 2024 AFP
