Novak Djokovic confirms retirement plan as Andy Murray’s mother left furious

Novak Djokovic insists tennis is “still in a good place” despite the Serb being more dominant than ever before.

The US Open champion is a 24-time Grand Slam winner after Sunday’s triumph and of the last 10 Slams he has competed in, he has at least reached the final in nine.

But he said: “The rivalries I had with these guys were so strong and solid that it was very high probability that I’ll face either Roger [Federer] or Rafa [Nadal] or Andy [Murray] in the finals of a slam for most of those years when we were facing each other at the highest of the levels.

“Nowadays, that’s different. I don’t mind playing different players in the slams as long as I win (smiling). But I did play three epic matches with [Carlos] Alcaraz this year, and I think that’s why there is a discussion or debate on the next rivalry. I said all I needed to say in a positive way about Carlos, I do really mean it.

“I think it’s great for our sport that we have another very good rivalry. I know he has also great rivalry with [Jannik] Sinner, and you have [Holger] Rune, you have these guys, you have of course generation of [Alexander] Zverev, [Stefanos] Tsitsipas, [Daniil] Medvedev, these guys that are still top 5, top 10 in the world. They are great players.

“I think judging by the attendance of people in all Slams and, you know, the kind of a hype that goes around Grand Slams, tennis is still in a good place. You know, players come and go.”