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Novak Djokovic hints at looming exit, but hopes US Open can deliver career-defining ‘full circle’ moment
Novak Djokovic stands just three wins away from winning the much-eluded 25th major
It was two years ago at the very same Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows in New York, where Novak Djokovic won his last Grand Slam title. While the Serb was primed to redefine tennis history, with experts taking a guess at the exact tally that he could touch before drawing curtains on his illustrious career, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner stormed into the scene to share all the next eight Slams. As Djokovic reached the quarters at the 2025 US Open on Monday with a straight-sets victory over Jan-Lennard Struff on Arthur Ashe Stadium in one hour, 55 minutes, he said he is "dreaming" of a "full-circle" moment in New York, which would cap off his "greatest achievement" thus far.
The comfortable win in the round of 16 left Djokovic just three wins away from winning the much-eluded 25th major, which would make him the first player ever in the history of the sport to reach that milestone. When asked if it would be his greatest achievement so far in his career, the 38-year-old, who became the oldest player since Jimmy Connors' run to the semi-finals in 1991 to reach the US Open quarters, said: "It could be."
Djokovic added that while he still takes things one match at a time, winning the 25th major at Flushing Meadows would be the perfect way to "close the circle," a remark many see as hinting at a possible farewell.
"Still a very long way [to go]. In the last couple of years, I learned to take one match at a time. And yes, of course, I'm dreaming about winning another Slam, and it would be amazing if I do it here.
"But I can't allow myself to go that far with my thinking, because I just need to focus on what needs to be done to win the next match, next challenge.
"The last Grand Slam I won was here actually two years ago. So it would be a nice kind of journey in the last couple of years - to kind of close the circle here again would be great," he said.
Despite a reduced schedule in this calendar year, Djokovic reached the second week in each of the Slams thus far. In fact, he became the oldest player in the Open Era to reach the last eight at all four Grand Slam events in a single season.
Djokovic will next face last year's runner-up Taylor Fritz.
