Novak Djokovic & Jannik Sinner
Image credit: Getty Images
Novak Djokovic remains confident of winning a record 25th Grand Slam singles title, yet admits the recent dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has been a “slap from reality”.
Djokovic equalled Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 major singles titles when he was crowned the 2023 US Open champion, but the meteoric rise of Alcaraz and Sinner has hindered his chances of adding to his tally.
The world’s top two players have shared the last eight Grand Slam titles between them.
Djokovic has had to contend with injury issues during semi-final appearances against both Alcaraz and Sinner in three of the four major semi-finals this calendar year – and the 38-year-old revealed in an interview on Piers Morgan’s TV show Uncensored that he is still coming to terms with the latter stage of his career.
“I believe that to some extent I am the superman who can never injure myself, that can never be weak,” said Djokovic, who hinted after winning the Hellenic Open in Athens last week that he wants to continue playing into his 40s.
“But I got a slap from reality in the last couple of years. I’m just getting to know this new chapter.”
The world No. 4 has already outlined plans to defend his Olympic title in Los Angeles in 2028, but he withdrew from the Paris Masters in October without explanation, amid fitness concerns displayed during his loss to qualifier Valentin Vacherot in the Shanghai Masters semi-finals.He qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin as the third-best player on the tour, but withdrew due to injury, and admits he has doubts over whether he can keep up with the new standard Sinner and Alcaraz have set.
Novak Djokovic & Jannik Sinner
Image credit: Getty Images
“I’m aware that [comparing] my best level now and their best level now, they’re better. That’s the reality,” continued Djokovic, who lost to Sinner in the French Open and Wimbledon semi-finals and to Alcaraz at the same stage at the US Open this year.
“I have always believed in things that are almost impossible to achieve.
“I do have doubts that I can win Slams against these two guys. But when I enter the court, I don’t care who’s across the net.
“I always believe I’m better and I deserve to win, and I’m going to do everything I can to win.’
Djokovic: Sinner will never escape doping stigmaDjokovic also argued that the handling of Sinner’s anti-doping case exposed major flaws and asserted that the resulting controversy will permanently taint Sinner’s career.
Four-time Grand Slam winner Sinner reached all four major finals in a year that also saw him serve a three-month doping suspension after twice testing positive for a banned substance in 2024. Traces of the anabolic steroid clostebol were found in his system in March of last year.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted that Sinner “did not intend to cheat”, and Djokovic said he believed the Italian “didn’t do it on purpose”.
‘Dark cloud’ – Courier on Sinner’s mental strength after serving doping ban
Video credit: TNT Sports
But Djokovic cautioned that the incident would remain a “cloud” over the 24-year-old’s career.
“That cloud will follow him as the cloud of Covid will follow me, for the rest of our careers,” said Djokovic, drawing a comparison to his own refusal to be vaccinated, a decision which saw him deported from Australia on the eve of the Open in 2022.
“It was something that was so big over time, it will fade, but I don’t think it will disappear. There’s always going to be a certain group of people that will always try to bring that forward.
“I’ve known Jannik since he was probably 13, 14 years of age, and I was practising with Sinner a lot of times when he was a junior.
Highlights: Sinner thumps ailing Auger-Aliassime to begin title defence with win
Video credit: SNTV
“I liked him, actually, a lot, and he always came across as very genuine, very nice, very quiet. He had his own world, and he didn’t really care too much about the lights of society. He just wanted to be the best player he could be. And I like that. I liked his mentality.
“So when this happened, I was shocked, honestly. I do think that he didn’t do it on purpose. But the way the whole case was handled has so many red flags.
The timing of Sinner’s ban has been questioned, with Djokovic calling it “odd”.
Sinner served a three-month ban in February 2025 and didn’t miss any of the Grand Slams this season.
“There is the lack of transparency, the inconsistency, the convenience [of] the ban coming between the slams so he doesn’t miss out. It was very, very odd,” he said.
“I really don’t like how the case was being handled. You could hear so many other players who had similar situations coming out in the media and complaining that it was a preferable treatment.”
Watch and stream top tennis action, including the 2026 Australian Open, live on TNT Sports and discovery+