Tennis star, Novak Djokovi, has vowed to derail Carlos Alcaraz’s title charge when the two meet in Friday’s US Open semi-final, with the Serbian legend determined to prevent another Jannik Sinner–Alcaraz showdown in the final.
The 38-year-old battled past Taylor Fritz on Tuesday night, silencing a partisan New York crowd and fending off the American’s late surge to keep his dream of a record-extending 25th Grand Slam alive.
Djokovic has now advanced to the last four in all four majors this season. However, his campaign has been repeatedly derailed — retiring injured against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open, before suffering back-to-back semi-final defeats to Sinner at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Now chasing his first Grand Slam final of 2025, the world No. 2 is intent on breaking the Alcaraz-Sinner dominance that has shaped the men’s game in recent months. The two young stars have contested the finals of the last two majors, cementing their rivalry as the sport’s most compelling storyline.
Speaking to Tennis World ahead of the highly anticipated clash, Djokovic acknowledged the challenge that lies ahead.
“We don’t need to spend words about the two of them,” said Djokovic. “We know that they are the two best players in the world.
“Everybody is probably expecting and anticipating the finals between the two of them. I’m going to try to mess up the plans of most of the people.
“Let’s see. You know, Sinner still has to win a couple of matches to get to the finals. But they are playing definitely the best tennis of any player here. They have been the dominant force since the beginning of the tournament.”
