Struggling Novak Djokovic Surpasses Roger Federer, Andre Agassi but Trails 1 American Legend

For Novak Djokovic, age is just a number. On the tennis court, he is unapologetically defiant. Of course, he had a thing or two to say about the 2-week Masters tournaments because of the hectic scheduling that ideally doesn’t pair well with his 38 years of existence. But his focus on the Grand Slams remains unwavering. With a win over Jan-Lennard Struff in the round of 16 of the 2025 US Open, Djokovic has now entered the roster for the quarterfinals. Needless to say, he has broken some records as always, but fell short of breaking one such record by a known foe. 

With his straight-set victory over Struff, Djokovic has reached his 14th US Open men’s singles quarterfinal match. He has surpassed legends like Roger Federer and Andre Agassi, who have 13 US Open men’s singles quarterfinal games in their records. However, the Serbian star fell behind Jimmy Connors, who played 17 US Open men’s singles quarterfinals. On top of that, Djokovic has become the oldest tennis player (38 years and 94 days) in the Open Era to reach the quarterfinals in the men’s singles of all four Grand Slam events in a single season. 

However, all of this came at a cost, an array of injury troubles. We’ve seen him battle toe blisters and lower back issues, very apparent from his multiple medical time-outs at all stages of the tourney. Despite winning the first set against Struff, the enthrall alone wasn’t enough to propel his run. Djokovic had to take some time off and get physiotherapy for the back of his neck, triggering concerns regarding his health and his future in tennis. 

Following his win over Cameron Norrie, he opened up about his health and said, “I’m good, as young as ever, as strong as ever. It’s New York, even if you’re feeling something body-wise, the energy just overrides it.” But with each passing year, he is not getting any younger, making his pace of recovery slower. With age ticking against him, this puts him at a predisposition for more frequent injuries.

This is a developing story… Meanwhile, don’t miss a beat from the ongoing 2025 US Open by visiting the EssentiallySports Live Blog!