The 38-year-old is in the US Open quarter-finals, but his body has lately struggled in the latter stages of grand slams
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lmost every time Novak Djokovic has competed in a grand slam tournament this year, a record has fallen. In New York alone, he became the oldest man in more than three decades to reach the fourth round of the US Open, then he repeated the trick by winning that fourth-round match. Djokovic’s straight-sets victory against Jan Lennard Struff established the 38-year-old as the oldest man in the open era to reach the quarter-finals of all four grand slam tournaments in a calendar year.
Djokovic’s late-career achievements are unprecedented but, for a player who has won every single significant trophy, only more big trophies will satiate those boundless ambitions. Once again, he has plotted his path back to the late rounds of a grand slam tournament full of hopes that fortune will fall his way, allowing him to pull off his greatest achievement: a 25th grand slam title.
After his semi-final defeat at Wimbledon, Djokovic opted to use his time between the grand slam tournaments to focus on his family and himself rather than competing. Rust was predictably visible on Djokovic’s game during his first two rounds but since his quality four-set victory against Cameron Norrie, Djokovic has played himself into good form. His serving has particularly been spectacular, allowing him to play the brand of efficient, attacking tennis that is essential to his continued success.
