"He was basically a part-time tennis player who was still the third-best player in the world" - Roddick in awe of Djokovic as he touches on physical issues

Novak Djokovic is still going strong in the sport. Despite being 38-years-old, he is still challenging for major titles and competing against the best in the world on the biggest stage. Andy Roddick and Jon Wertheim were amazed by this, but also unsure how long it could continue.

It was a mixed year for the Serbian in 2025. He won two ATP titles, taking him up to 101. His Grand Slam form was still of the highest order but not to his usual levels. He made it to four consecutive semi-finals, unable to make it a step further. It is the first year he has gone without a final since 2017 and now eight in a row without a major triumph.

He is currently the world number four. Former US Open champion Roddick tried to assess his 2025 campaign on Served. "At this stage of the last four, it feels like he can turn on and off being a top-three or four player in the world. That’s Novak Djokovic, right?" he began. "How do we judge this year against his career? Any year where he doesn’t win a major is probably disappointing for him. And this year was insane to watch. He was basically a part-time tennis player who was still the third-best player in the world. It’s a joke. It’s unbelievably impressive."

American journalist Wertheim compared the Serbian to former great Jimmy Connors. "You said this reminded you, for our generation, of Jimmy Connors’ 1991 run," he stated.

"Yeah. That’s it. 'Hey Grandpa, turn up the volume.' Geritol jokes and all that. This guy is a year younger than Connors was, and Novak made the semifinals of all four majors. There’s this real 'rage against the dying of the light' theme. And he won a couple of tournaments on top of those four semifinal runs."

The problem for Djokovic is his inability to get the better of Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner, losing in the last three major semi-finals to those players. "At this stage of his career, if he can’t get it done against the guys ranked one and two, you can go in two directions," Wertheim commented as he assessed his options. "Either you say, 'This conversation is crazy — I’m still a top-four player in the world and I’ll choose what I want to do,' or you say, 'I’ve won enough majors. If I can’t win another one, what am I doing here?' There’s a huge range of outcomes."

This could have been a very different topic if a certain event at Wimbledon never occurred. "But we forget things very easily. Do you remember Wimbledon this year, when it looked like Jannik Sinner was on his way out against Grigor Dimitrov?" Roddick explained. "Let’s assume Novak is healthy. Dimitrov was most likely going to win that match before he tore his pectoral muscle. If Sinner goes out there, the whole tournament changes. That Sinner matchup is rough for Novak because he’s basically playing the prime version of himself. Sinner wants to get on the front foot. The question is: can Novak still defend against that power? He’s not faster than he was two years ago — obviously not a criticism, and I say this with amazement — but that matchup is tough."

He would have still had to defeat the Spaniard, but Roddick was confident Djokovic could have defeated the two-time Wimbledon champion. "Carlos Alcaraz didn’t play unbelievably well at Wimbledon this year either — at least not by his own absurd standards. We judge him against his own shadow now. He’s already an all-time great and the world No. 1, but a couple of small things shift and suddenly Novak’s path looks different."

Wertheim continued this discussion, as he used examples. "There are data points. Roger Federer won his last two majors beating Marin Čilić. The draw gods work in strange ways. And Novak has shown, in one-match-for-history situations — most recently the 2024 Olympics — that he can still rise to it."

But the physical question remains" Roddick bluntly stated. "That’s the whole thing. After the US Open, Novak openly questioned whether he can train the way he used to. You can’t train that psychotically — and I mean that as a compliment — at 38 years old.

"And if you can’t train that way, then can your body hold up over two weeks, best-of-five sets, at a major? This year, by his own admission, the answer was no. He said, “I don’t know if my body can do it.” And then you ask: when I reach the semifinals, can I beat these guys if my body is already damaged goods?"

It may not be all doom and gloom for Djokovic, with Wertheim unveiling that he enjoys the challenge of fighting to stay at the top of tennis for at least a bit longer.

"And this is informed speculation, but people close to him say he loves this challenge. He used to win majors routinely. Now he has to fight through these younger guys. I think he loves the challenge of bending time. The great ones always find something — Michael Jordan did it. Sometimes it’s manufactured, sometimes it’s a real rival. I think Novak is leaning into this: Can I beat time? And that’s what’s driving him right now," he concluded.