Djokovic admits he is 'more concerned than ever' in worrying US Open update
NewsSaturday, 30 August 2025 at 14:56
Novak Djokovic might be beating one opponent after another at the 2025 US Open, but even he is concerned about his physical state.
Djokovic has already lost two sets this year in New York. After beating Learner Tien in straight sets in the opening round of the US Open, he lost a set to both Zachary Svajda and Cameron Norrie.
There were worrying signs already in the 38-year-old's previous matches, but against Norrie, he took a medical timeout because of a lower-back issue. Despite that, Djokovic's flawless serving performance guided him to a four-set win 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-3.
During his on-court interview, the 24-time Grand Slam champion was asked about his physical condition, as he isn't the only one struggling with his health at this year's US Open. While answering the question on the court after his win over Norrie, Djokovic didn't want to talk about too many details, as he knew that his rivals were listening, and he didn't want to give anything away.
"You have some ups and downs. I guess, you don't wanna reveal too much to the rivals listening and watching this. I'm good man. I'm as young as ever."
Djokovic made everyone inside the stadium laugh, but during another interview after the match, with ESPN, he provided an honest update about his condition, and that wasn't too positive.
"Well, honestly I am concerned. You know, nowadays [I am] more concerned than I have ever been. Even though I really am meticulous with the care for my body and I put in a lot of hours on and off the court to make sure that my body is fit and recovered well."
Djokovic has taken exceptional care of his body throughout his career, but even despite that, he can't avoid these issues, which must be really disappointing for him.
"But you know, age is… you can’t fight it. So things are different. I have to obviously adjust myself the way I approach things training. Sometimes I don’t train between matches because with my team when I have this discussion, we think that long term is better and that recovery is more important than hitting some balls in the court."
"So maybe that’s going to be the case tomorrow. We have to still discuss that and just focus on recovery and get ready for next one."
The Serbian legend also explained how much time he spends on recovery these days. Naturally, it's even more than when he was a youngster, as he wants to keep up with the best.
"Actually probably even more when I was younger; it’s just in order to keep up with the youngsters I just have to put an extra, extra hour, extra few hours every day. Whether it’s table work, whether it’s recovery from using different wellness machines or good sleep, nutrition, obviously all of it, all of it comes into equation and all of it matters when you go deeper in the tournament."
"The young guys, they come in fresh and I come with a half tank empty in a sense and so I’m going to try to change that for this tournament. I don’t know if that’s going to be possible. Obviously, it’s very unpredictable how the body is going to respond. But one thing is for sure, I’m always going to give my very best the last drop of energy to make sure that I go as deep as I possibly can."
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