Novak Djokovic Leaves Court as Mid-Match Health Struggles Rock US Open Clash

Has age finally caught up with Novak Djokovic? Well, it certainly seems that way. After securing a 5-3 lead against Cameron Norrie in the first set of the third round of the 2025 US Open, Djokovic had to go through an early medical timeout. Needless to say, the entire world was concerned to see the 24x Grand Slam winner struggling with his health. But what’s the reason behind his medical timeout?

It looked like he had trouble with his lower back. He sat on the bench and pointed at it when the on-court physician reached him. Djokovic tried to stretch his back by bending and extending his obliques. But in the end, he had to proceed with an off-court medical timeout. Nevertheless, the tennis community rejoiced when the Serbian star came back to the court to continue his battle against Norrie.

Upon his return from the off-court medical timeout, Novak Djokovic lost one game to his opponent. But being one of the few to win all four Grand Slams in a single year, there was no way the Serbian was going to give up. And he went on to win the first set with a score of 6-4. But we have to admit that the 2025 season hasn’t really been free from injuries for Djokovic. 

The 38-year-old had to withdraw from the Australian Open after tearing a muscle in his upper leg while competing against Alexander Zverev. But his troubles began during the quarterfinal match against Carlos Alcaraz, where he seemed to have strained his hamstring. And later, he returned to compete in the Doha tournament. 

At the French Open, he had to endure a painful blister on his big toe. This required a medical timeout as well. And how can we forget the fall at Wimbledon quarterfinal against Flavio Cobolli? Novak Djokovic had to go through a physio assessment following the fall.

No doubt, the Serbian star must go through another heartbreak soon. And that’s his retirement. He’s already 38 years old, and his body is starting to slow down. He’s getting injured more often, and his recovery rate is only going to get slower. So, what does he have to say about his retirement? 

Novak Djokovic weighs in on his retirement talks

During his appearance on On Purpose with Jay Shetty, Djokovic explained why he was considering Sila, his hydration brand, as a backup. He said, “I was hearing early on from not just tennis players. Established tennis players who were retired and shared their experience of post-career with me…Particularly the struggles they had if they had not prepared themselves for that transition.”

Nevertheless, retirement is one thing that Novak Djokovic can’t really avoid. He continued, “It’s going to be a sad day for me when I leave tennis, and it’s going to be very emotional, I know that. But what I’m talking about is basically the adrenaline that also needs to be filtered or re-channeled somewhere…I feel like you need a challenge.“

He has several other post-retirement plans, including a concept of Sleeping Pods. It’s named Regenesis Pod, and is a project that he has been working on for six years now. And the project is slated to go live in 2025. But first, we need to see how Novak Djokovic fares in US Open. 

What do you think of Djokovic’s trouble? Do you think he can continue till the end of the US Open? 

For more on-court drama at Flushing Meadows, stay tuned to the EssentiallySports Live Blog.