Novak Djokovic has failed in each of his three attempts to add a 25th Grand Slam title to his collection in 2025.
The Serbian star kicked off his Grand Slam campaign in Melbourne, where he picked up a remarkable win over Carlos Alcaraz, before Djokovic retired injured against Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.
Traveling to Paris for the French Open, he returned to the semifinals once more, where Djokovic lost to number-one seed Jannik Sinner in straight sets.
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Suffering the same fate at SW19, Djokovic was beaten by Sinner 3-6, 3-6, 4-6, as he missed out on a place in the Wimbledon final.
Looking to go all the way in New York, Djokovic has been praised for what he’s done before the US Open begins.
Simon Rea says Novak Djokovic should be ‘applauded’ for pulling out of the Cincinnati Open
Following his run to the last four at Wimbledon, Djokovic pulled out of the Canadian Open, alongside his fellow Grand Slam champions Sinner and Alcaraz.
However, unlike Sinner and Alcaraz, Djokovic has now withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open as well, meaning he will next be seen on court at the US Open.
During the latest episode of ‘The Tennis’, Nick Kyrgios’ former coach, Simon Rea, gave his verdict on Djokovic’s Cincinnati withdrawal.
“I think it’s hard to knock the change in approach from the perspective that you are looking at an athlete that is prepared to do whatever he can to give himself the ultimate chance at playing for one more Grand Slam title,” he said.
“I think it’s the equations of energy in vs energy out. It’s as simple as that. The energy in is normally time on the match court, victories under the belt, momentum, progress, and confidence, which is earned through action. You can’t go to the supermarket and buy confidence off the shelf.
“So I think it’s to be applauded that he is trying something different again.”
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Rea believes Djokovic is sacrificing match sharpness to conserve energy for the latter stages of the tournament.
“He is prepared to go in there slightly underdone from a physical perspective, because he is thinking I need every ounce of energy available at the backend of that fortnight,” he said.
“We know it’s hot and humid in New York, we know it’s a physical test over five sets.
“He is going to go in there fresh and back himself to find a way, perhaps through some difficult moments in the opening week and back himself to get there with a little bit more in the tank deep in the event against the likes of [Jannik] Sinner and [Carlos] Alcaraz.”
The Australian may have praised Djokovic for ‘trying something different’, although it should be noted that things didn’t exactly go to plan when the Serb did the exact same thing in 2024.
What happened at the 2024 US Open after Novak Djokovic withdrew from Canada and Cincinnati?
After Djokovic lost to Alcaraz in the 2024 Wimbledon final, he chose to skip the two North American hard-court Masters 1000 events just as he has done this year.
Returning to action in New York as the number two seed, Djokovic was looking to defend his title, having beaten Daniil Medvedev to win his 24th Grand Slam one year earlier.
Kicking off his campaign with a comfortable victory, Djokovic defeated Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.
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Moving on to play his fellow Serb, Laslo Djere, Djokovic advanced to the third round when his countryman retired injured down two sets to love.
Next up for Djokovic was Australia’s Alexei Popyrin, who had won the Canadian Open earlier in the month.
Stunning those in attendance on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Popyrin stormed into a two-set lead, 6-4, 6-4, leaving Djokovic on the brink of defeat.
Djokovic wasn’t prepared to give up that easily, however, as he fought back to take the third set, 6-2.
Many expected Djokovic to push on and secure the win in five, although it wasn’t to be, as Popyrin regained control in the fourth, securing the win 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
For the first time since 2017, Djokovic had lost before the fourth round of a Grand Slam, as he headed home from New York much earlier than expected.
Looking to avoid the same fate in 2025, perhaps it would have made more sense for Djokovic to play a warm-up tournament before the US Open.
Only time will tell if Djokovic will be subject to another early exit at Flushing Meadows, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action when the tournament begins on Sunday, August 24.