Novak Djokovic’s hopes of 25th Grand Slam title assessed as Jimmy Connors delivers verdict
Jimmy Connors has revealed he will not rule out the possibility of Novak Djokovic winning a 25th Grand Slam title as he looked towards the Serbian’s US Open hopes.
Djokovic’s dream of a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title continues after the 38-year-old was beaten in straight sets by Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-finals last week.
The former world No 1 has reached the last four of all three majors so far this year but has fallen at that stage every time.
Djokovic was forced to retire injured in his Australian Open semi-final versus Alexander Zverev, before a straight-sets loss to Sinner at Roland Garros.
This summer’s US Open, which begins on August 24th, represents the 24-time Grand Slam winner’s last chance to win a major title in 2025.
He is a four-time champion at the US Open, with his most recent Grand Slam title coming at the tournament back in 2023.
Speaking after his Wimbledon semi-final exit, Djokovic admitted that the latter stages of Grand Slams had become “a real struggle” for him, due to the demands of best-of-five-set tennis.
Speaking on his podcast Advantage Connors, tennis legend Connors conceded that the challenge Djokovic faced against the likes of Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz was a significant one.
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However, the eight-time Grand Slam singles champion warned that Djokovic could have “something up his sleeve” for the final major tournament of the season.
“I am not going to count him out yet,” said Connors.
“The bad thing about that is that if he does not get his ranking in the top four, he is going to play them early, he is going to play three tough matches in a row and Sinner and Alcaraz back-to-back.
“That is a hard thing for him – well, for anybody. But certainly someone at 37 or 38 years old.
“But I am not counting him out yet. When you have got guts, you have got guts. And sometimes those guts are going to come out.
“And listen, there is nothing better than sticking it where it should be stuck.
“I got a feeling that as much as he would have liked to have won Wimbledon, that result in the semi, he didn’t like that. Losing three straight sets like that. He is not used to that, that’s not him, that’s not his game.
“So believe me, the guy can come up with something up his sleeve for the US Open, which might just surprise a lot of people, and you know what, I would love to see it.”
Outside of his most recent triumph in 2023, Djokovic also lifted the US Open title in 2011, 2015, and 2018, alongside a further six runner-up finishes in New York.
Triumph at Flushing Meadows this summer would see Djokovic not only win a record-extended 25th Grand Slam title, but also hold an Open Era joint-record of five US Open men’s singles titles.
That record is currently shared by five-time champions Connors, Roger Federer, and Pete Sampras.
However, Djokovic will need to bounce back from huge disappointment at the tournament last year, with the Serbian stunned in the third round by Alexei Popyrin twelve months ago.
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