Novak Djokovic also participated in the second edition of the 'Six Kings Slam' in Saudi Arabia, where he made his debut directly in the semifinals against current world number 2 Jannik Sinner. In the re-edition of the semifinal of the last edition, the Serbian legend was defeated in two sets, proving to be clearly inferior to the Italian ace at this stage of his career.
It is no coincidence that the 24-year-old from Sesto Pusteria has beaten Nole in the last five clashes and has not lost to him since the final of the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, before beginning a disruptive rise to the highest level to become the leader of men's tennis together with his huge rival Carlos Alcaraz.
The 38-year-old from Belgrade admitted that Jannik is the player who resembles him the most and added that it will be very hard for him to defeat the Italian and the Spaniard again in the future, but he does not want to give up and hopes to find the right opportunity to make tennis history again.
ADVERTISEMENT
Nolehas dropped his level
Although he has not managed to win a single Grand Slam title even in 2025, Novak's season certainly cannot be considered negative. He has reached the semifinals in every major tournament played this year and lifted the 100th trophy of his legendary career on the red clay of Geneva ATP 250 during the spring.
Interviewed by 'Tennis365' these days, former ATP ace Tim Henman wanted to express his sincere opinion on Djokovic's current status: He made four Grand Slam semi-finals this year and that is a phenomenal achievement, but when you have played five matches to get there and then you are coming up against these youngsters who are at the peak of their powers, hes not been able to come up with the solutions.
What I always say about these great players is they should play as long as they want. They have earned the right to play as long as they want. If they are enjoying it, keep playing. Its the best job in the world. You are a long time retired. It will be interesting to see how Djokovic approaches 2026, what his schedule is like and his level of play.
