Novak Djokovic breaks another record at US Open but faces new injury scare

Monday, 01 September 2025 at 14:52

byErik Virostko

Novak Djokovic might be winning matches left and right at the 2025 US Open, but the alarm bells are ringing louder than ever when it comes to his health.

Djokovic secured another quarter-final appearance at the US Open. He is still trying to win his 25th Grand Slam title, a major trophy that would be his first since the 2023 US Open.

Today, he is two years older than he was when he won his last Grand Slam, and that shows on the tennis court. It doesn't show much in terms of the results of the Serbian's matches, but it is evident in the frequent injury scares.

The 38-year-old missed every tournament between Wimbledon and the US Open. Even shortly before the US Open, he appeared in a video suggesting he was struggling with an injury.

During the New York Slam, the Serbian player has struggled with multiple problems, and the list seems to be growing. Djokovic had another injury scare during his fourth-round win over Jan-Lennard Struff.

He beat the German player without too many issues, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2, but his win over Struff could have been even more convincing. Early in the match, the 24-time Grand Slam champion led 4-0 and 15-0, and that was also the moment when he first grabbed his neck.

After that, Djokovic lost two consecutive games, but he still won the first set of the match, after which he consulted the physio. He eventually won the match without too many issues, securing a quarter-final in New York, which meant he broke another record.

He became the first man ever to have nine seasons in which he reached quarter-finals at all four Grand Slam tournaments. That's only one of multiple records he broke at this year's US Open.

Novak Djokovic reacts to breaking records at the US Open

Djokovic also became the oldest man since Jimmy Connors to reach the fourth round and the quarter-finals at the US Open. Connors did it in 1991 when he was 39 and reached the semi-finals at the event. For the Serbian, it was an honor to be able to match that run partially.

"I remember. I thought he was 40. I remember that. I remember that run. I was very, very, very young. When I was growing up watching a lot of tennis everyone was talking about that run being one of the most historic runs we had in sport at any Slam."

"Jimmy Connors is one of the greatest tennis players of all time and a great legend in general, overall globally, but particularly in this tournament. He's won it what, like, five times, and you know he's fired up the New York crowd like no other player has done in his career. So, just being the same discussion or same conversation with Jimmy is obviously a huge honor for me."