“I feel like I’m prepared” – Djokovic on 20th US Open after early Cincinnati loss
Novak Djokovic reaches his 20th straight US Open, a testament to his strategic focus on longevity. He confirms he’s privately advised athletes for years and will soon publish his methods for sustained high-level performance in a new book.
Novak Djokovic, US Open 2026 | © Imago / PsNewz
Novak Djokovic arrived at the US Open on Saturday for the 20th year, a run only three other men have matched, and he made clear that the longevity everyone else treats as a phenomenon was a design decision he took as a young man.
“Longevity was always one of the goals when I was younger, trying to have long career, trying to have more shots at Grand Slams, and stay healthy long enough so that I can perform for as many years as possible,” the Serb said at Flushing Meadows, a day before the main draw begins. “So it’s great to know that I’m back at slams 20 years in a row,” he said, forgetting that he did not play here in 2022, when he could not enter the United States as an unvaccinated traveler.
He also knows exactly who is left from the start of it. “I’ve seen it somewhere there’s like three, four of us that played I think back in 2006,” he said. “I think it was Wawrinka, Monfils could be, and Cilic. I actually think that I played in my first US Open against Monfils, a five-setter (7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 0-6, 7-5), and here we are 20 years later (21 in reality, editor’s note), we’re both still grinding and representing the older generation.”
Both men he named are in this draw and both are expected to be here for the last time. Gael Monfils, on a wild card, plays his opening match on Tuesday, his 40th birthday, and has said it will be the final Grand Slam of his career. Stan Wawrinka, also a wild card, is in Djokovic’s quarter and could meet him in the second round if the Swiss defeats Matteo Berrettini.
Years of private advice, and a format for it
The method behind the durability has not been public, but it has not been idle either. Asked whether he would consider sharing it with a generation of players struggling with injuries and an expanding calendar, Djokovic said he already has, for years, and not only in tennis.
“I’ve been doing that for years with athletes directly. Athletes, I purposely say ‘athletes’ because there’s athletes from different sports that reach out,” he said. “I’m not going to name names because out of privacy and respect, but I’ve been doing that for years, absolutely. Whether it’s me sharing or me asking also for advices, guidance, and just interactions with other athletes, because I feel like you can always learn.”
He then confirmed something new. “When it comes to sharing that in a more structured way through different formats of maybe media or whatever it is or book, yes, absolutely,” Djokovic said. “We’re working on that. It’s going to come up in the near future.”
Two weeks of work after a short Cincinnati
The same argument runs through his account of his form. Djokovic lost early at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 last week, his only match since Wimbledon, and rather than treating it as a warning he treated it as a block of preparation.
“I don’t like early losses anywhere, to be honest, but it gave me time to be preparing for US Open in a most adequate way,” he said. “I had almost few weeks, actually two weeks, to really train and get my body and mind into the right state, prepared for what’s coming up.”
It’s different training and then getting out on the Arthur Ashe Stadium and playing best-of-five.
He stopped short of promising the training would transfer. “If you ask me if I’m prepared, I feel like I am, as best as I can be, but it’s different training and then getting out on the Arthur Ashe Stadium and playing best-of-five,” Djokovic said. “You don’t normally play best-of-five on the practice sessions.”
Then came the one concession to age in the whole press conference. “The opening matches are always for me, particularly in the last few years, quite challenging,” he said. “So hopefully I can overcome the first hurdle and build from there.” The No. 4 seed opens against Mariano Navone of Argentina, a first meeting.
