Novak Djokovic has been issued a cautionary warning ahead of his US Open title defense. The Serbian legend is set to begin his campaign at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday morning, facing unseeded Moldovan Radu Albot in the first round.
Djokovic, the tournament’s second seed, is aiming to capture his fifth US Open title, which would mark his unprecedented 25th Major title. The 37-year-old experienced a scare during practice this week when he had to cut a session short due to an injury concern. However, he is expected to be fully fit for his match against Albot.
Mats Wilander, a seven-time Grand Slam winner who triumphed in New York in 1988, has advised Djokovic to be “careful” in the early stages of the tournament, citing his limited preparation.
This summer, Djokovic finally claimed the one major title that had eluded him—Olympic gold in Paris. However, his focus on the clay-court season meant he didn’t participate in any hard-court events leading up to the US Open.
“Novak isn’t even playing a tournament on hard court before the US Open,” Wilander said on Eurosport. “That hasn’t happened in, I don’t know how long, especially when it’s his decision not to. But the one thing that really helps when you don’t play a tournament on that same surface before a major is the focus of that player in the first few rounds. So I think Novak, he knows that he is good enough, but he also knows that he has to be careful even though it’s on his favorite surface.”
Wilander, 60, also believes that Djokovic should enter the US Open with a relaxed mindset after finally winning the Olympic title he had long desired. The Swede is convinced that this victory solidified Djokovic’s status as the greatest player in history.
“Obviously, it makes everyone that’s involved in the sport extremely happy,” he added. “We can now clearly say, whether it’s a woman or a man, that the person who has won 24 majors, an Olympic gold, a Davis Cup, and the most ATP 1000 tournaments is easily the GOAT, the best player of all time.”
Wilander also anticipates an exciting two weeks of competition in the men’s singles. Despite Djokovic’s success in Paris, it’s Carlos Alcaraz who is vying for a third consecutive Grand Slam title, after defeating Djokovic in the Wimbledon final and going on to win the French Open.
“So it’s very open, which tells me that the men’s game is most probably in one of the most healthy situations that it has been since Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray started to challenge Roger Federer,” said Wilander. “So I’m expecting an unbelievable two weeks.”
However, neither Djokovic nor Alcaraz will enter the tournament as the top seed. That honor goes to Jannik Sinner, although his build-up has been marred by controversy after he avoided suspension despite failing two doping tests at Indian Wells in March.
