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‘Let’s see in two days time': Novak Djokovic raises fitness concerns ahead of Carlos Alcaraz US Open semifinal showdown
Novak Djokovic battled fitness issues during his US Open quarterfinal win vs Taylor Fritz.
Novak Djokovic is 38 years old and is nearing retirement. But the Serbian ace has once again shown that he is not done yet, as he set up a semifinal clash vs Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 US Open. Djokovic defeated Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals, sealing a 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory. Djokovic has a 5-3 head-to-head record vs Alcaraz, but against Fritz, he showed signs of fitness issues.
After the match, the veteran also accepted that he wasn't feeling ‘fresh’ and needed to be physically ready to face Alcaraz. When asked about his upcoming showdown vs the Spaniard, Djokovic replied, “Let's see in two days’ time.”
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“The good thing about the schedule is now that I have two days without a match, so that helps a lot. I don't feel very fresh at the moment, but hopefully in two days it will be different.”
Even if he beats Alcaraz, his campaign won't just end there, and he will need to play in the finals if he wants to get a record 25th Grand Slam title.
‘The next couple of days is really key for me’
“It's not going to get easier. I tell you that. Look, as I said, I'm going to try to take one day at a time. Really take care of my body. Try to relax and recover,” Djokovic said.
“The next couple of days is really key for me to really get my body in shape and ready to battle five sets if it's needed.”
Predicting that it could be a five-setter match against Alcaraz, the world No. 7 said, “I just would really love that. Would love to be fit enough to play and to play, you know, potentially five sets with Carlos. I know that my best tennis is going to be required, but I'd rise to the occasion.”
“Normally I like to play the big matches on a big stage. It's just that I'm, you know, not really sure how the body is going to feel in the next few days.
“But, you know, I'm going to do my very best with my team to be fit for that. There's going to be a lot of running involved, that's for sure. It's not going to be short points,” he added.
