Novak Djokovic sparks US Open concerns and calls out ATP Tour

Novak Djokovic has admitted he is arriving at the steamy US Open feeling "cold" because he does not "enjoy" playing two-week Masters events. The 24-time Grand Slam winner lost his last match to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-finals on July 11. The Serbian superstar, 38, then admitted he was feeling his age and "I'm going into the match with tank half empty" at the end of Grand Slams.

Djokovic has skipped the Masters events in Toronto and Cincinnati - which now stretch over 12 days - before bidding to win his first Major title since the 2023 US Open. The four-time champion here needs one more Grand Slam title to break the record of 24 he shares with Margaret Court. Temperatures in New York will hit 30 degrees this weekend. But asked if he will start the final Grand Slam event of the season feeling "cold", Djokovic responded: "'Cold' in terms of the matches, official matches. Obviously I didn't have any matches since Wimbledon. So it is the right term in a sense, but I have put in a lot of training in last three, four weeks.

"I decided not to play because I wanted to spend more time with my family. And to be honest, I think I earned my right and have the luxury of kind of choosing, picking and choosing where I want to go and what I want to play.

"To be quite frank with you, I don't enjoy the two-week Masters events anymore. It's just way too long for me. My focus is mostly on the slams, and I have said that before. I'd like to play more of the other tournaments, but I just, we have currently informally, unofficially, 12 Grand Slams a year, you know, when you think about it. I mean, Grand Slam is two weeks and the other Masters events are almost two weeks, as well.

"It's just not any more prioritising the heavy schedule as I used to. I'm not chasing the rankings or building up my points or defending, et cetera. I just don't think about it anymore. For me, it's really about where do I find motivation and joy? Where will I be inspired to play the best tennis? And where do I care to be, really, and play?

"And Slams are obviously the four main tournaments where I always feel the most motivation. I don't actually have any schedule other than Slams, to be honest."

Djokovic also dropped a hint he will not be playing for too much longer even with his reduced schedule.

"I want to balance things out with other priorities in life," he said. "Family being, of course, the main one and being there for the important dates, speaking of which I'm going to miss out, maybe going to miss out on my daughter's birthday (Tara). It's the 2nd of September, so if I'm doing well I'm still here.

But those are types of things that I really don't want to be missing anymore. So it's just on a personal level for me important to be there, to show up, you know, for the people that have been showing up for me for all these years playing tennis."

Toronto and Cincinnati this year became the latest Masters events to extend to the 12-day format after the change was first trialled in Rome, Madrid and Shanghai in 2023.

Asked if the second-tier events should be switched back to one-week tournaments, Djokovic said: "I don't see how that's going to happen, to be honest. The contracts are quite solid, as I understand, 30-year contracts."

In his opening match in the Arthur Ashe Arena on Sunday night, Djokovic will face American teenager Learner Tien who beat then world No.2 Alex Zverev in Acapulco in February.

The left-hander said: "I think it's an amazing opportunity. It's kind of like a childhood dream that's finally come true. It will be surreal to get on court with him. I've said a few times that I would love to play him before he retires. It's really cool to be able to play him on a stage like this, and not at an ATP 250 or something. I'm really looking forward to it."