Is Record-breaking Djokovic Robust Enough To Keep Rolling Back Years?

Almost each clip Novak Djokovic has competed successful a expansive slam tourney this year, a grounds has fallen. In New York alone, he became nan oldest man successful much than 3 decades to scope nan 4th information of nan US Open, past he repeated nan instrumentality by winning that fourth-round match. Djokovic’s straight-sets triumph against Jan Lennard Struff established nan 38-year-old arsenic nan oldest man successful nan unfastened era to scope nan quarter-finals of each 4 expansive slam tournaments successful a almanac year.

Djokovic’s late-career achievements are unprecedented but, for a subordinate who has won each azygous important trophy, only much large trophies will satiate those boundless ambitions. Once again, he has plotted his way backmost to nan precocious rounds of a expansive slam tourney afloat of hopes that luck will autumn his way, allowing him to propulsion disconnected his top achievement: a 25th expansive slam title.

After his semi-final conclusion astatine Wimbledon, Djokovic opted to usage his clip betwixt nan expansive slam tournaments to attraction connected his family and himself alternatively than competing. Rust was predictably visible connected Djokovic’s crippled during his first 2 rounds but since his value four-set triumph against Cameron Norrie, Djokovic has played himself into bully form. His serving has peculiarly been spectacular, allowing him to play nan marque of efficient, attacking tennis that is basal to his continued success.

The mobility remains whether Djokovic will beryllium physically robust capable done 2 gruelling weeks of champion of 5 sets matches to compete astatine a precocious capable level against nan very champion players. In Australia, Djokovic retired from his semi-final lucifer against Alexander Zverev because of a hamstring injury. At Wimbledon, he was intelligibly hampered physically successful his conclusion against Jannik Sinner and he later formed important uncertainty connected nan expertise of his ageing assemblage to withstand nan beingness strain of these tournaments.

Although his playing level has been moving successful nan correct direction, Djokovic’s first 4 matches person only further underlined those issues. Almost each triumph has been accompanied by immoderate benignant of beingness issue, pinch Djokovic calling connected nan trainer to be to his neck, shoulder, little backmost and different issues. He has been frank astir his uncertain beingness state.

“I don’t deliberation location is overmuch much that I could do than what I’m doing now, to beryllium honest,” he said. “If nan assemblage doesn’t perceive to maine erstwhile I spell heavy successful nan expansive slam tournaments, arsenic it was benignant of nan lawsuit past fewer slams, past that’s a difficult 1 to swallow for me, because I cognize nan magnitude of hours I’m putting successful regular to attraction for my body, but astatine nan aforesaid time, you know, biologic property is not thing that I conjecture you tin reverse, and it is what it is.”

Taylor Fritz will look Novak Djokovic successful nan quarter-final astatine Flushing Meadows. Photograph: Adam Hunger/AP

The adjacent situation is significant. Djokovic faces Taylor Fritz, nan No 4 seed and a finalist past year, a subordinate who has made specified dependable improvements complete nan years and who will participate Arthur Ashe Stadium hopeless to put together a signature triumph astatine his location tournament.

At a clip erstwhile his peers, nan likes of Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev, are each navigating definite struggles, Fritz softly continues to emergence and eke retired arsenic overmuch of his talent arsenic possible. This match-up, however, is schematic of Fritz’s shortcomings, peculiarly his deficiency of athleticism and variation. Djokovic holds a 10-0 grounds against nan American since their first gathering successful 2019, pinch 8 straight-sets wins.

Fritz is adamant that astir of those early meetings are irrelevant considering nan subordinate he has now become: “For me, successful my head, I’m not reasoning astir each nan losses I had to Novak erstwhile I was, I don’t know, like, 5 years ago,” he said. “I was obscurity adjacent nan level of subordinate that I americium now.”

While Fritz looks towards astir important matches of his profession astatine his beingness peak, successful immoderate of nan champion shape of his life and arsenic nan higher classed player, Djokovic is conscionable trying to clasp connected for arsenic agelong arsenic he can. It is simply a testament to nan Serb’s unprecedented occurrence and longevity that he will still caput connected to Arthur Ashe Stadium arsenic nan subordinate to beat.