The suggestion that Novak Djokovic would head to Flushing Meadows sky-high in confidence without a trophy to his name since last year’s ATP Finals would have been inconceivable to many following his most one-sided Wimbledon final defeat in July.
For the first time in 18 years, he departed the All England Club in search of his first title for the season and his loss to reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz, in which he salvaged just 10 games, did little to instill belief he was about to emphatically turn the tables.
Even in the face of defeat, he was clear about his intentions for the second half of the season.
“The Olympic Games and US Open are the two big goals for the rest of the year for me really,” he said. “I'm hoping I can be at my best on those two tournaments.”
The Serbian had fallen short at the Olympics Games in each of his four prior appearances, the biggest event he had never claimed.
To have reached a Wimbledon decider only a month after he underwent knee surgery was already a considerable feat, but a short turnaround for the return to clay in Paris – the site where he succumbed to the injury during his Roland Garros campaign in June – was not in his favour.
Alcaraz, the champion in Paris in May and his vanquisher in the past two Wimbledon finals, was a red-hot favourite to add a first Olympic gold medal.
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Even though top seed Djokovic carved a path to the decider without the loss of a set, he was considered a heavy underdog against the Spaniard.
The 37-year-old drew on vast experience and inspiration to summon arguably his greatest match of the season, pulling off the last significant achievement missing from his CV by winning 7-6(3) 7-6(2).
“Everything I felt in that moment when I won surpassed everything I thought or hoped that it would,” Djokovic said. “Being on that court with the Serbian flag raising, singing the Serbian anthem, with the gold around my neck, I think nothing can beat that in terms of professional sport.
“It definitely stands out as the biggest sporting achievement I have had.”
Only the fifth player to complete the Golden Slam, he became the first player in the Open era to claim every big title – Grand Slams, ATP Masters 1000s, Tour Finals and Olympic gold – and now owned a winning record against every major or Masters champion he had faced since 2011.
For only the second time in his career, and the first since 2021, Djokovic arrives in New York without having competed throughout the North American swing in the lead-up.
Djokovic rarely contests the Canadian Masters so his withdrawal from that event came as no surprise. He also elected to skip his Cincinnati title defence to allow time to replenish his mental and physical reserves, and to savour his monumental Olympic accomplishment on holiday with his family.
Despite being the defending champion this year, the pressure has shifted considerably from that he experienced at the 2021 US Open.
That year, Alexander Zverev ended his bid for the Golden Grand Slam in Tokyo, but he still had a shot at achieving the calendar Grand Slam in New York. Daniil Medvedev foiled that bid at the final hurdle.
This year, much of the focus has centred on the two men who have taken the reins as the best-performed players at the majors.
After a blazing start to the season, including his maiden Grand Slam trophy at Australian Open 2024, it has not been entirely smooth sailing for Jannik Sinner. A hip injury and a bout of tonsillitis did not help his cause, although his second ATP Masters 1000 trophy of 2024 in Cincinnati has restored the world No.1’s status as the favourite on paper to triumph in New York.
Meanwhile, the first cracks in Alcaraz’s season since he took control mid-year emerged in an off-kilter early exit against Gael Monfils in Cincinnati. It was the first hint that the letdown of losing the Olympic final, on the heels of a gruelling stretch which included major titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, had started to weigh.
While Sebastian Korda’s Washington ATP 500 title, Alexei Popyrin’s surprise Montreal Masters triumph and Frances Tiafoe’s run to the Cincinnati Masters final have added fresh names to the mix, Alcaraz carries as much expectation as Sinner in New York.
Another strong US Open performance could see the former champion improve his chances of reclaiming the year-end No.1 ranking.
Djokovic, in the meantime, has been soaking up his well-earned hiatus. He joined Serbia’s other Olympic medallists for a hero’s homecoming and celebrated into the night with a sea of fans outside Belgrade City Hall.
The reigning champion has resumed training on hard court in Montenegro ahead of his return to Flushing Meadows, where he will play with a freedom he has not experienced since his earliest seasons on tour.
Prospective rivals understand that makes him especially dangerous as he turns his attention to landing a 25th major singles title – one clear of the record he shares with Margaret Court – and a fifth US Open men’s singles title to become the oldest Grand Slam champion in the Open era.