Mats Wilander Explains Important Role Novak Djokovic is Playing in Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s Careers

At the US Open, Novak Djokovic is projected to square off against Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals and Jannik Sinner in the final.

Mats Wilander Explains Important Role Novak Djokovic is Playing in Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s Careers

Carlos Alcaraz, Mats Wilander, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K, Quindici Zero, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner HQ)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Novak Djokovic has reached the twilight of his career. He is now 38, and winning a Grand Slam title is expected to be harder for him if he plans to play the next season as well.

Although he is rarely winning titles, he is still giving tough competition to his opponents, which also includes World No.1 Jannik Sinner and World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz. It was the Spaniard whom the Serb beat in the final of the 2024 Paris Olympics as well as in the quarterfinals of this year’s Australian Open.

This year, Sinner won his French Open semifinal match against the 24-time Grand Slam champion in straight sets, but he had to toil hard for each point. And according to former ATP pro Mats Wilander, Djokovic is making these two young rivals better players. The Swede thinks tennis has become so fast that it doesn’t give much time to the players to reflect, but Djokovic forces them to rack their brains. He wrote in his columns for L’Equipe:

He will hit a few backhand slices, then take the ball very early and, suddenly, play very aggressively… There are several Djokovics, and what he is doing today is more important than anything he has accomplished before: he pushes the other two, forces them to improve. Because when you are number 1 or 2 in the world, you do not want to and you cannot lose to a 38-year-old player. In fact, by being there, Novak makes the game better.

In the ongoing US Open, Djokovic is projected to face Alcaraz in the semifinals and Sinner in the final. Djokovic has played Alcaraz twice in Major finals, but he has not yet been pitted against Sinner in a Major final.

This season, Djokovic has featured in the semifinals of the first three Majors, which Alcaraz and Sinner won. Sinner will be bidding to defend his title at the US Open as well as win his third title of the season, following his Australian Open and Wimbledon wins. The five-time Grand Slam champion is the winner of six titles, including the Roland Garros, which he defended by beating Sinner.

Novak Djokovic reveals why he didn’t play a tournament after Wimbledon

Jannik Sinner was the reason behind Novak Djokovic‘s exit in this year’s Wimbledon as well, beating him in straight sets in the semifinal. Since that defeat, Djokovic skipped both the Masters 1000 tournaments on the North American hardcourt swing held before the US Open. During his pre-match press conference, the father of two revealed the reason behind skipping those Masters 1000s.

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

Obviously, I didn’t have any matches since Wimbledon. So it is the right term in a sense, but I have put in a lot of training in last three, four weeks. I decided not to play because I wanted to spend more time with my family. And to be honest, you know, I think I earned my right and have the luxury of kind of choosing, picking and choosing where I want to go and what I want to play.

Djokovic last won a Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open, and since then, he has made it to just one Major final. It was at the 2024 Wimbledon, which wasn’t similar to their clash at SW19 in 2023, as at that time, Carlos Alcaraz overcame Djokovic in five sets. In the 2024 Wimbledon, Alcaraz won it in straight sets.

Last year at the US Open, Djokovic’s run ended in the third round. So far this season, Djokovic has reached two finals, winning one title: at the Geneva Open by beating Hubert Hurkacz. Djokovic is the last player other than Alcaraz and Sinner to take home a Grand Slam title.

Also read: Coco Gauff Finally Lifts Lid on the ‘Sudden’ Coaching Change Ahead of the US Open