US star under fire after brutal Novak Djokovic comments in Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner battle

Novak Djokovic has been dismissed as a no-hoper in his bid to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at the top of men’s tennis by Frances Tiafoe, who has come under fire on social media following his contentious comments.

At the age of 38, Djokovic has confirmed he is the third best player in the men’s game after reaching the semi-final of all four Grand Slam tournaments this year.

Yet the Serbian has admitted he is struggling to find a way past the all-conquering duo of Alcaraz and Sinner in best-of-five-set matches, as he hinted his days of winning Grand Slam titles may be over after the lost in comprehensive fashion against Alcaraz at the US Open earlier this month.

Now American star Tiafoe has caused a stir with some dismissive comments when he was asked whether Djokovic was still a contender to challenge the ‘Big 2’ in men’s tennis, as he was asked whether he could raise his challenge to challenge the players who have shared the last four Grand Slam titles between them.

“I’m like, yo, who’s that third guy? Who’s that fourth guy?” said Tiafoe, in an interview with the Olympics website.

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“Novak (Djokovic) doesn’t count. He’s 40. I love him, but doesn’t count. He’s 40. He’s a GOAT, he’s the best player of all time. He’s not with those guys.

“Who is that other guy or two to be there and maybe beat these guys? That would be the quote-unquote Novak and (Andy) Murray – before Novak went and did what he did.

“Who are those guys? And there’s a bunch of guys who can be that guy, right? So that’s really motivating me. It’s like, ‘See big picture.’ That’s motivating.”

Tiafoe acknowledged what Alcaraz and Sinner bring to the court, but wants to make them feel uncomfortable.

“Everyone’s puzzle looks different, everyone’s style looks different. But the biggest thing is the intensity they’re playing at, how fast they’re playing at.

“With Jannik, you know what product you’re going to get from him every single day. Alcaraz is more similar to me, as in the flashier talent or whatever, but still, his effort and what he brings out is the same every day.

“If I can get more of that, bring in a high-intensity effort to practice, I’ll be all right.”

Djokovic fans were quick to hit back at Tiafoe on social media and correctly suggest their man got closer to challenging for major titles than the out-of-form American in 2025, but he has vowed to return next year with more to his game.

“You can expect a different version,” added Tiafoe, as he assessed his targets in 2026. “A version that’s yes, he’s going to be a smiling guy, but he’s going to be going to be there f***ing about it and hopefully, hopefully, that gets me to where I’m trying to go,” he continued.

“I’m just trying to gain all the good habits for next year. Next year, I want to have one of the best seasons that I’ve ever had, and I want to start now. I want to start playing the right way, be tough week in, week out.

“Be consistent. Show up. Show up and see where that takes me. Stay in the water for nine months and see what happens. Being super locked in and not bulls***ting and not messing around – see where that takes you.

“And then you look back in nine months to a year and be like ‘yeah, that was cool or maybe I should change this’. But that’s my thing. I just want to keep showing up.

“I got a window. The game’s open, I got a window, I’ve got the capability and the biggest thing probably to being consistent is just be obsessed. You’ve got to be obsessed with the s*** man.

“If you want to be really good, you have to be obsessed with it, and that will take me a long way.”

Djokovic has hinted he may be close to retirement after going through two years without winning a Grand Slam title, but he has confirmed he will play in the ATP 1000 event in Shanghai next month.

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