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US Open: Novak Djokovic and his younger, power hitting rivals
Summary
Djokovic has struggled in recent Grand Slams against younger players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. How long can he prevent the inevitable?
The power players—Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev—are the hardest to beat for the GOAT (greatest of all time) of tennis: Novak Djokovic. Now add the 6-ft-5-in Australian Alexei Popyrin to the list. Djokovic ran into him three times in the four Grand Slam tournaments this year.
They can throw Djokovic off his famous balance with the sheer power of their serves and shots. Against the less powerful, shorter baseline sluggers like Casper Ruud, the Serb can control the game. Either way, it’s a privilege for tennis fans to see the 37-year-old Djokovic stretch to stave off the inevitable.
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The retirement of Roger Federer and scarce appearances of Rafael Nadal have left Djokovic as the last man standing, representing a 20-year golden era of tennis. The Serb failed to rack up his usual quota of Grand Slam titles this year, but he achieved the crowning glory of an Olympic gold medal, against all odds, on 4 August in Paris.
He had to be absolutely perfect to beat Nadal’s successor, Alcaraz, in the final. Djokovic did that by delivering a high percentage of first serves to ensure he never got broken in the match. And, despite a knee surgery just two months earlier, he was able to lift his game for the break points and tie-breakers.
It takes superhuman effort to keep producing that level of intensity at his age. So Djokovic took a break after the Olympics, skipping hard court tournaments in the run-up to the ongoing US Open. And the draw was kind to him in the first two rounds, pitting him against the Moldovan, Radu Albot, and compatriot Laslo Djere.
Going forward into 2025, Djokovic’s main rivals will remain the three players who shared the top four positions by seeding at the US Open: Sinner, Alcaraz, and Zverev. Sinner beat Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-final this year, before going on to win the title. The achievement was tarnished by the disclosure earlier this month that he tested positive twice in March for using a banned anabolic steroid. The Italian World No.1 escaped a ban on dubious grounds, after the test results were kept secret for five months.
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The tall Italian’s all-round game and powerful service, along with a steady temperament, is hard to break down. He is more muscular and powerful than he was last year, when Djokovic beat him in straight sets at Wimbledon. That enables him to keep up with Djokovic in rallies and even out-power him.
Alcaraz does not have the advantage of Sinner’s height. But he’s the most athletic and powerful of the three claimants to Djokovic’s throne. Alcaraz’s ability to retrieve shots makes it hard to close out points against him. He combines that with innovative variety in his game to keep opponents guessing, especially with well-placed drop shots.
Djokovic lost badly to him in the Wimbledon final this year. But for him to then reach the Olympics final just a month after surgery was an extraordinary feat by itself. The Serb was stronger at the Games, to prove doubters who had written him off wrong.
That brings us to the third nemesis, Zverev, who denied Djokovic a medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The German has the dubious distinction of winning an Olympic gold medal while yet to win a Grand Slam title. But he was unlucky to have twisted his ankle badly in the 2022 French Open semi-final against Nadal, when he was in peak form.
It took Zverev over a year to come back from that horrific injury. But he’s playing at his best again, looking stronger and fitter than ever before. Perhaps more significantly, he looks relaxed on court, after the settlement of a domestic abuse case brought by his former partner.The six-and-a-half-foot German is the tallest of the four US Open top seeds. He leads the pack with a thunderous serve that often crosses 130 kmph. And his double-handed backhand is almost as reliable as that of Djokovic.Zverev’s forehand is still erratic and he’s the most mentally fragile among the top contenders. But his growing confidence makes him the player to watch for the future.
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The time will come when Sinner, Alcaraz, and Zverev replicate the rivalry between Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. But for now, tennis fans will continue to crave every glimpse they can get of the greatness of Djokovic, as he fights age and creaking joints to perform on the big stage. He has never been as elegant as Federer or as athletic as Nadal, but he’s peerless in the economy of style and precision of his high percentage tennis. As the former great John McEnroe once said, Djokovic is the player to emulate for a youngster learning the game.
The service and the return of serve are the two most important attributes for winning in modern tennis. Undoubtedly, the best returner of all time is Djokovic, a mantle that once belonged to Andre Agassi. Time and again, we have seen the return shoot back at the opponent’s feet even before he has completed his service action. And Djokovic’s ability to contort his body allows him to get balls back into play from impossible angles and positions.
His 120kmph service tends to be underestimated. But he’s accurate and conjures up a service winner when it matters, more often than not. But there’s another nuance in the Djokovic serve: he leans forward into the court at the point of contact, which gains him a couple of feet in distance and, thus, adds power.The clock is ticking on Djokovic’s playing days, so the more nuances you can spot in the his game, the greater will be your enjoyment of his tennis, while it lasts.
Sumit Chakraberty is a writer based in Bengaluru.
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