Tennis legend John McEnroe spotted how Novak Djokovic reacted after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open semi-finals and discussed the possibility of the Serbian retiring
Tennis icon John McEnroe has hailed Novak Djokovic’s gracious response following his US Open semi-final defeat. The 38-year-old was swept aside by Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 on Friday.
Djokovic has stumbled at the semi-finals in all four grand slams this year while pursuing his 25th major championship. The Serbian star already boasts the men’s record for major titles, but another victory would set him apart from the Open Era record he shares with Margaret Court.
Djokovic hasn’t secured a grand slam triumph since capturing the US Open two years ago, which has coincided with the emergence of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. However, McEnroe highlighted Djokovic’s conduct after Alcaraz had booked his spot in the US Open final.
“He doesn’t lose much, but he’s always been gracious enough when he does,” McEnroe said on ESPN, as per Tennis Head. “He always gives the players their due. But this is an incredible challenger [Alcaraz].”
Alcaraz had suffered defeat in his previous two encounters against Djokovic at this year’s Australian Open and the 2024 Olympics, though the Spaniard had previously won consecutive Wimbledon finals against his rival. Since Djokovic’s most recent US Open success, either Alcaraz or Sinner have claimed the past seven majors, and Djokovic showed respect for both players.
“It’s never fun losing a tennis match, but at the same time, if I’m to lose to someone, I would lose to these two guys,” Djokovic said of Alcaraz and Sinner. “I know that they are just better at the moment. You just have to hand it to them and say, ‘Well done.'”
Djokovic demonstrated his quality againsty Alcaraz but, as he acknowledged himself, struggled to compete with his youthful opponent after the second set. This led McEnroe, who compared Alcaraz to all-time greats, to be asked about the prospect of Djokovic calling time on his legendary career.
“I don’t know. It’s all up to him,” McEnroe admitted. “In a way, I wouldn’t be surprised if he stopped. But I would be surprised if he tried to go one more year. That would be my bet.
“He’s been the third-best player in the world this year. That’s what he was. So we hear the applause. That’s nice. But these guys have separated themselves. These two [Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner], it’s incredible. How quickly they’ve just dominated the game. What are we gonna do? No Federer, Nadal. Then these two come along.”
Alcaraz will meet world No. 1 Sinner in the US Open final on Sunday following the Italian’s four-set triumph over Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime. They are poised to create history as the first men’s duo to face off in three of the four grand slam finals in the same season, and Djokovic evaluated how he measures up against the sport’s new superstars.
“I lost three out of four Slams in semis against these guys, so they’re just too good, playing on a really high level,” Djokovic explained. “Unfortunately, I ran out of gas after the second set [against Alacaraz]. I think I had enough energy to battle him and to keep up with his rhythm for two sets. After that I was gassed out, and he kept going.
“That’s kind of what I felt this year also with Jannik. Yeah, best-of-five makes it very, very difficult for me to play them, particularly if it’s the end stages of the Grand Slam.”
Djokovic admitted to struggling with the physical demands of competing at the US Open and admitted that it will continue to be a challenge as he nears the end of his career. “I’m happy with my level of tennis, but it’s just the physicality of it,” Djokovic told reporters.
“As I said after the quarter-finals, the press conference when I spoke to you guys, I said I’m going to do my very best to get my body in shape to sustain that level and that rhythm for as many hours as it’s needed. But it wasn’t enough. That’s something I, unfortunately at this point in time in my career, can’t control.”
Despite the daunting task of defeating Alcaraz and Sinner over five sets, the 24-time major champion is not ready to throw in the towel. “I’m going to continue fighting and trying to get to the finals and fight for another trophy at least. But it’s going to be a very difficult task,” Djokovic said.
