NEW YORK – Time is running out for Novak Djokovic to win his 25th Grand Slam title: his physical level is declining, his rivals are improving. Mats Wilander does not see a future filled with the success the Serb continues to chase relentlessly.
Like this, “he has no chance,” Wilander told CLAY in New York after the former world No.1 lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open semi-finals.
“He’s clearly not 100% physically. Without that, at 38, I don’t give him a chance to win another Grand Slam. He has to be at his very maximum and even then you’d see him perform better. Against these guys he even needs another 5% from somewhere, something extra beyond what he has now,” said the 1988 US Open champion.
“Today he is the third-best player in the world and he’s doing what he can. I love what he does, but right now it’s probably not good enough. Alcaraz and Sinner are just too good for him,” added Wilander, now a Eurosport commentator.
The 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-2 defeat Djokovic suffered against the Spaniard on Friday afternoon at Arthur Ashe Stadium proved something else to the Swede.
“Alcaraz wins the important points. To me it seems he lifts his level here and there, right in the key moments. It’s just a matter of points, because it’s not like Djokovic’s level is much lower. It’s the same level overall,” he analysed.
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Given all the factors against him, where in 2026 might Djokovic still have the best chance to trouble the Spaniard and the Italian?
“In Australia and Wimbledon,” predicted Wilander. “Probably more in Australia, because the courts there are perfect for him.”
“But I don’t know if he has chances to win. He’s reached a point where it no longer matters. He has won so much… For me, the truly great thing is that he keeps playing,” confessed the seven-time Grand Slam champion.
Fresh off his elimination in New York, Djokovic expressed his desire to compete in Melbourne, and for now has only confirmed that he will play the ATP 250 in Athens later this season.
The event, organised by his family’s company with support from Stefanos Tsitsipas’s family, will be held from 2 November.
