Novak Djokovic Reveals Physical Struggles During US Open Tournament

Novak Djokovic is no longer the youngest guy on the tennis court, and it’s pretty clear his age is starting to catch up with him.

Playing at the highest level at 38 isn’t easy. Nobody really knows what it’s like until they’ve actually done it themselves. That’s why athletes competing in their 40s face challenges they never saw coming.

Djokovic remembers what it felt like when he was 24. He was at his peak back then, recovering quickly, and didn’t have any unexpected problems.

Now at 38? His body feels inconsistent. It can literally change from one minute to the next.

When Your Body Betrays You Mid-Match

That’s exactly what happened to the Serbian legend in his first match at the 2025 Australian Open. He faced Learner Tien, a talented 19-year-old who’s already ranked inside the Top 50.

Despite his talent, Tien couldn’t really bother the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the first set.

But then the second set started. Djokovic began struggling unexpectedly, often bending down in exhaustion.

This was just the second set of his first-round match. The 38-year-old had only spent about an hour on the court at that point.

It was surprising enough that reporters had to ask him about it after the match.

The four-time US Open champion admitted even he was caught off guard by how bad he was feeling. He said he felt fine at the start, but everything went downhill in the second set.

"I started great. Just over 20 minutes, first set, I felt really good. Then some long games to start the second set, and then I start to feel really—I don’t know why. I really was surprised how bad I was feeling in the second physically."

A Rare Admission of Concern

Djokovic usually doesn’t want to talk about his physical struggles too much. Quite the opposite, actually.

He typically brushes off questions about any problems, preferring not to focus on them.

This time was different. The Serbian openly admitted he’s concerned about his physical issues and hopes they won’t impact his tennis moving forward.

"There are positives, but also things that hopefully won’t happen in terms of, like, how I feel on the court physically the way I felt in the second set. It’s slightly a concern. I don’t know. I don’t have any injury or anything. I just struggled a lot to stay in long exchanges and recover after points."

Not knowing what will happen the next day is the unique reality of competing at 38.

For now, Djokovic’s level is still way above his opponents in the early rounds of Grand Slams. Even with some struggles, he’s able to keep winning.

Up next, the seventh seed will take on another American player. This time it’ll be Zachary Svajda, ranked 145th in the world, who got into the main draw through qualifying.

The question is: will Djokovic’s body cooperate, or will we see more of these concerning moments?