Andrea Petkovic Questions What Novak Djokovic Did Wrong to Be ‘Third Wheel’ Amid Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s Dominance

Novak Djokovic's campaigns in Grand Slam events have been ended by Jannik Sinner twice this season.

Andrea Petkovic Questions What Novak Djokovic Did Wrong to Be ‘Third Wheel’ Amid Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s Dominance

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic (via The Tennis Letter)

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Age is catching up with Novak Djokovic as he is not doing what he used to do. Despite being 38, however, Djokovic made it to the semifinals of the first three Grand Slam events this season.

The reasons why he lost were injury problems and Jannik Sinner. In the semifinals of the French Open and Wimbledon, the Serb succumbed to straight-set defeats to the World No.1.

He last lifted a Major at the 2023 US Open, and since then, Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz dominated in the Grand Slam events as they have won the last seven Majors. Djokovic will continue his hunt for his historic 25th Grand Slam title at the US Open, but he will not be entering the tournament as the heavy favorite to win. Sinner and Alcaraz will.

Following Wimbledon, former player Andrea Petkovic thinks that amid the Alcaraz and Sinner era, Djokovic has become a third wheel, while also comparing it with his presence during the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal era. She said on the Becker Petkovic podcast:

He was with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, and now he’s with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. I’m glad we have him, but he’s no longer a favorite. It was his initial destiny in tennis to be number three, then there were years when he was number one. Now, towards the end of his career, it’s his destiny again to be the third wheel. What did he do wrong to be the third wheel again?

Djokovic has lifted one title this season- the Geneva Open, his career’s 100th singles trophy- by beating Hubert Hurkacz. He is scheduled to play the Canadian Open next, and so are Sinner and Alcaraz.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion will be making his appearance in the Montreal event for the first time since 2018. Alcaraz had skipped the tournament last year, while Sinner was defeated in the quarterfinals by eventual runner-up Andrey Rublev.

Sinner and Alcaraz were the finalists in Paris and London. The Italian ace lost the French Open final in five sets but took his revenge when he denied the Spaniard his three-peat at Wimbledon. In the previous two years at SW19, the five-time Grand Slam champion defeated Djokovic in the finals.

Jimmy Connors is not yet ready to count Novak Djokovic out in Grand Slam events

Novak Djokovic currently stands in the sixth position on the rankings table. If his ranking doesn’t improve, he could schedule quarterfinals or semifinals clashes with Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image via X/TNT Sports)

These two youngsters have been stopping him from reaching his historic 25th Major. But despite his struggles to reach the final, former player Jimmy Connors is not yet ready to write the Belgrade native out. He said on his Advantage Connors podcast:

I am not going to count him out yet. The bad thing about that is that if he does not get his ranking in the top four, he is going to play them early, he is going to play three tough matches in a row, and Sinner and Alcaraz back-to-back. That is a hard thing for him. Well, for anybody! But certainly someone at 37 or 38 years old.

Apart from his Geneva Open win, Djokovic also reached the final of the Miami Open this year, losing the match in straight sets to Jakub Mensik. After the Canadian Open, Djokovic is expected to play the Cincinnati Open, which he had skipped last year.

Last year at the US Open, Djokovic lost in the third round to Alexei Popyrin in four sets. Sinner will be aiming to defend his title, while Alcaraz, too, will be bidding to lift the title for the second time in his career after the 2022 season.

Djokovic has often dropped retirement hints, but he also wants to play the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He has not yet won a Big Title since beating Alcaraz in the 2024 Paris Olympics final.

Also read: Hubert Hurkacz Claims Tennis with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz is on a Whole New Level Beyond the Big 4