Novak Djokovic's candid admission after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in US Open semis: ‘These guys are just too…’
Novak Djokovic has found himself faced by a roadblock in the form of the two best players in the world, whose youth and level is proving too strong.
It cannot be easy for an elite athlete, especially one considered amongst the greatest of all time, to admit that they are being outdone by younger opponents and seeing the twilight of their careers. Unfortunately, that seems to be a realisation that has struck Novak Djokovic, who looked off the pace compared to Carlos Alcaraz in their US Open contest on Friday evening.
Djokovic’s straight set loss, a regulation 6-4 7-6 6-2 victory that looked a little too easy by the end, marked a fourth slam in 2025 in which Djokovic has reached the semifinal but found a roadblock preventing him from going further in search of a record-breaking 25th slam title. Speaking in his press conference after the loss, Djokovic admitted that his younger adversaries Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have the rub over him in the longer format of tennis.
“I think you’re right, I lost three out of four slams in semis against these guys, so they’re just too good, playing at a high level,” Djokovic admitted. The Serb legend retired mid-match vs Alexander Zverev in Australia, but lost the semifinals of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon to Sinner, before this loss to Alcaraz in New York.
“Unfortunately I ran out of gas after the second set. I think I had enough energy to battle him and keep with his rhythm for two sets, but after that I was out and he kept going,” said Djokovic. These are startling but unsurprising words from 38-year-old Djokovic, who built a career on extreme endurance and an ability to outlast his opponents across five sets. With his age advancing, he finds himself victim to that intensity instead.
‘Very difficult to play with them,’ admits Djokovic
“It’s kind of what I felt this year even with Jannik. Yeah, best of five makes it very very difficult for me to play with them, particularly if it’s the end stages of the grand slam,” said the Serb. While he has found his level to still be dominant against the majority of the tour, allowing him to go deep and reach the semifinals, it hasn’t been with an ease he would have wanted.
However, Djokovic did have success against Alcaraz in Melbourne earlier this year, although the fact that this was in the quarterfinals while Djokovic was fresh after the off-season might have played a big role.
Djokovic’s best chance at that elusive 25th grand slam might therefore be at the Australian Open early next year, which has historically been his favourite tournament and will also find him a little more prepared compared to the late-season US Open. However, that being a tournament where Alcaraz is hunting a career grand slam and Sinner is the two-time defending champion means the odds would still stand against the Serbian superstar.
