"He’s got 16 years on Djokovic": Carlos Alcaraz's age a clear advantage in Djokovic clash says Tim Henman

Tim Henman has hailed the quality of this year’s US Open as the tournament reaches its decisive stages, with the former British No.1 excited about the men’s semi-finals and the strong line-ups across both draws.

Reflecting on Novak Djokovic’s quarter-final win over Taylor Fritz with Sky Sports, Henman admitted he had felt the American had a real chance to finally get one over the 24-time Grand Slam champion but the opportunity came and went for the American at the US Open.

“Fritz obviously went into that match having lost all 10 of their previous meetings,” Henman said. “I just felt he really had an opportunity. His game has improved. At the age of 38, Djokovic is absolutely incredible, but I don’t feel like he’s getting better. I felt Fritz was closing the gap.

“But when you break down the match, Fritz played poorly in quite a lot of stages. He came out a bit nervous, and for me, I think it was probably mental. It was almost as if he was overplaying because his record was so bad against Djokovic. He missed shots from the back of the court he doesn’t normally miss, the first serve percentage wasn’t great, and he really struggled on second serve. When Fritz reflects, he’ll be disappointed with his performance.”

That victory sets up yet another blockbuster showdown between Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, and Henman believes the Spaniard has the advantage heading into Friday’s semi-final.

“I give Alcaraz the edge in that one,” he said. “The way he’s been playing is phenomenal—all the different shots he’s coming up with, but also the physicality. His movement is just absolutely incredible. He’s got 16 years on Djokovic, and I think that’s to his advantage.

“But Djokovic has been incredible in the slams. This is his fourth semi-final of the year, and he’s won here numerous times. He’s looking for that 25th slam, so you wouldn’t put it past him. But Alcaraz, for me, starts as the clear favourite.”

Henman was keen to stress that while Alcaraz and Sinner have dominated over the last couple of years, surprises are always possible. Albeit that now goes for Djokovic with Musetti beaten since Henman spoke but the point is still pertinent as in the belief of Henman, he says something special is needed to beat Alcaraz or Sinner.

“You look at their performances in the majors, they’ve absolutely dominated,” Henman said. “But we can’t get ahead of ourselves thinking it’s automatically going to be another Sinner-Alcaraz final. Sometimes when you play your countryman, like Musetti is against Sinner, there can be extra pressure, and you understand each other’s games. But the way Sinner and Alcaraz have been playing, it’s going to take something very special—or something strange, like an injury—for us not to see another Sinner-Alcaraz final.”

As the tournament narrows to its closing stages, Henman underlined just how important the mental side of the game becomes.

“It’s everything,” he said. “Physically, this has been the coolest US Open I can remember, so that hasn’t been such a challenge. There haven’t been too many really epic five-set matches, so I think all the players are in good shape.

“Technically, these are the best players in the world, so of course they’re playing well to reach this stage. And mentally, you’ve got to be prepared to deal with whatever adversity comes. It’s everything packaged together. But I love the lineup we have left in the men’s and the women’s. I’m really looking forward to those matches.”