Novak Djokovic is back in training mode, and fans just got their first peek at how he’s preparing for the US Open.
A social media clip shows the tennis legend hitting shots at a luxury resort in Montenegro. It’s his first time we’ve seen him on court since that tough semifinal loss at Wimbledon.
Djokovic hasn’t played a tournament since Wimbledon ended. The seven-time champion at SW19 made it to the semis before Jannik Sinner pretty much steamrolled him.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic | 38 | 8,360 | 18 - 6 |
Taking down the current world No. 1 would’ve been tough for anyone. But Djokovic was also dealing with physical issues that stopped the match from being as competitive as it could’ve been.
Despite that setback, and despite admitting he’s struggling more physically in the later rounds of Grand Slams these days, Djokovic still wants to keep playing. He’s determined to find a way to compete with Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
The 2025 US Open will be the latest test of whether that’s realistic.
At 38 years old, winning a fifth title at Flushing Meadows would arguably be the best achievement of his incredible career. That’s saying something for a guy with 24 Grand Slam titles.
Instead of staying home in Serbia to prepare, Djokovic chose Portonovi, a luxury resort in Montenegro. It’s a pretty smart choice – gives him all the privacy he needs to focus without getting bothered by fans or media.
Still, someone managed to catch him on video.
The short clip shows him hitting two solid forehands before his practice partner sends the ball long. Djokovic just calmly restarts the rally.
He’s training on hard courts, which makes perfect sense for US Open prep. His team probably did their homework to find courts that feel as close as possible to the ones at Flushing Meadows.
Djokovic skipped the ongoing Cincinnati Open to focus on this training camp. That’s actually pretty significant – he won Cincinnati the last time he played there, beating Alcaraz in an absolutely epic final that went to a deciding set tiebreak.
His withdrawal from the Canadian Open two weeks after Wimbledon was expected. But whether he’d show up in Cincinnati was more of a question mark until he officially pulled out.
Mixed Doubles Gets a Makeover
Djokovic’s first appearance since Wimbledon will actually be in the US Open’s revamped mixed doubles. They’ve moved it to fan week instead of running it alongside the main singles and doubles events like they used to.
Olga Danilovic was confirmed as his partner several weeks ago. They’ve played together at the United Cup before, but this has got to be pretty special for Danilovic – playing alongside her idol at the US Open.
The other pairings are pretty fascinating too. Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu grabbed headlines when the Spaniard revealed he personally asked for her as his partner. That sparked some dating rumors, but Raducanu insists they’re just friends.
Jannik Sinner and Emma Navarro, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka, and Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend are among the other confirmed teams.
It’s going to be interesting to see how Djokovic looks when he finally steps back on court. At his age, every tournament could be significant – and the US Open has always been where the tennis world’s biggest stories unfold.
