Djokovic revealed the key to defeating Sinner and Alcaraz, while Sinner stated he won’t compare himself to Djokovic.

The 2025 season featured numerous exciting matches and competitions. The most dazzling were world No.1 Alcaraz and world No.2 Sinner, who took turns creating waves of excitement on the Grand Slam courts. They simultaneously mounted strong attacks against Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion. As the season approaches its conclusion, will Djokovic be able to defeat them again?

These “new titans” have already dealt heavy blows to Djokovic this season. Sinner defeated Djokovic at Wimbledon with a score of 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, ending Djokovic’s five-year streak of reaching the Wimbledon final; at Roland Garros, Sinner again dominated with 6-4, 7-5, 7-6(3); later, Alcaraz reached the US Open final by beating Djokovic 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-2 in the semifinals, ending Djokovic’s dominance in New York. The rise of the new generation is unstoppable.

When asked how he deals with these two young opponents, Djokovic was candid: “I believe physical fitness logically plays the biggest role in best-of-three matches, and even more so in best-of-five. Of course, this is interconnected with mental and tactical aspects. If you’re not at 100% physically against these young players, you feel a step behind, which affects the entire match.” Indeed, his words make perfect sense.

Throughout the 2025 season, injuries have almost continuously affected Djokovic’s battles against them. During the Australian Open quarterfinals against Alcaraz, he strained his hamstring but still won, only to withdraw from the semifinals; at Roland Garros, he was still recovering from the leg injury and suffered an eye infection when facing Sinner; Wimbledon was even worse, as a fall against Khachanov left him at a disadvantage in the semifinal against Sinner.

Djokovic admitted, “It affected the whole match, including rallies and many details. After the US Open, I said playing best-of-five matches late in the season is very tough for me.” After losing to Alcaraz, he even confessed that he was “exhausted after the second set.”

Nevertheless, this season has still been a year of revival. After his first titleless season since 2005, he won his 100th career title in Geneva before Roland Garros. He chose to reduce his tournament schedule, skipping warm-ups before Wimbledon and the US Open, yet still reached the semifinals or better in all four Grand Slams. He finished the season with a 31-10 record, remaining solidly in the top five. But facing the twenty-something Alcaraz and Sinner, the challenge is clear.

“I feel that in the semifinal stage, my condition isn’t as abundant as theirs. There’s no avoiding it; it’s a physiological fact we have to accept sooner or later,” Djokovic said. “Given the current circumstances, I’m still giving my all to challenge them, or rather challenge myself, to see how far I can go in each tournament.”

For him, Masters tournaments seem to be a more suitable stage. The format is shorter, just two weeks, offering better chances to win titles. That was his plan, but injuries still affected his performance. His best result this season was reaching the final in Miami, where he lost to Menšík. Meanwhile, the world’s top two keep breaking records, with Sinner even mentioning surpassing Djokovic’s milestone in Beijing.

On Wednesday, Sinner defeated rising star Lerner Chen at the China Open to claim his second title there. A year ago, he missed out on the championship, but this time he made a strong comeback and finished perfectly. Beijing seems to have become his stage, and Sinner is enjoying it.

When asked about accumulating titles in Beijing, the 24-year-old Italian remained humble: “I always say it’s meaningless to compare me to Djokovic; his achievements are on another level. I’m just an ordinary 24-year-old player trying to play my best tennis. I know I’ve won some good titles early in my career, but how long I can sustain that remains to be seen.” Humble words, but the data speaks for itself: at 24, Sinner has won 4 Grand Slam titles, spent 65 weeks as world No.1, ranking 12th historically, surpassing Andy Murray.

Of course, when talking about Beijing, Djokovic cannot be left out. The Serbian legend has never lost a final at the China Open and has dominated whenever reaching the late stages. Despite Sinner having beaten him five times since the 2023 Davis Cup semifinals, he refuses to equate himself with Djokovic: “What Novak, Rafa, and Federer have done over the past 15 years is incredible. Novak is still active and performing at an amazing level. So we’ll see. But I don’t compare myself to him.”

Now, the spotlight shifts to the Shanghai Masters. Sinner will compete as the defending champion, while Djokovic seeks revenge after last year’s final loss. Adding to the intrigue, the top seed Alcaraz withdrew due to an ankle injury from the Japan Open, making the draw even more unpredictable. Can Djokovic reclaim the spotlight and pursue his fifth Shanghai title? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Spark)