Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Novak Djokovic Critiques Two-Week Masters Format, Sees Possibility for a ‘Third Guy’ in Alcaraz-Sinner Rivalry

Djokovic questions the ATP’s two-week Masters format while also seeing the possibility for a 'third guy.'

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Novak Djokovic enters the 2025 US Open with no matches played since Wimbledon, but the 24-time Grand Slam champion is making more headlines for his words as of now. Speaking to reporters ahead of Flushing Meadows, the 38-year-old criticized the ATP’s expanded two-week Masters 1000 events, questioning their place in an already bloated calendar, while also calling for a new challenger to break into the Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry.

With the more games played causing injuries and fatigue, Novak Djokovic shares his thoughts on the two-week masters tournaments 🗣️

Are the new generation playing too much tennis? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/XkFJZE9GFk
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) August 23, 2025

Djokovic’s Discontent With Tennis Calendar

Djokovic has leaned into a Grand Slam-first schedule this season, skipping every ATP event since Roland Garros in favor of extra training and family time. The Serb admitted he no longer plays for ranking points but purely for joy and legacy. “To be quite frank with you, I don’t enjoy the two-week Masters events,” Djokovic said. “It’s just way too long for me. We have, unofficially, 12 Grand Slams a year when you think about it. I mean, a Grand Slam is two weeks and the other Masters events are almost two weeks as well.”

'I don't enjoy them': Novak Djokovic slams top tennis players for silence on two-week Masters events before #USOpen returnhttps://t.co/5FUyV1OeMC
— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) August 23, 2025

His comments underline a growing frustration among players, though few have spoken as bluntly. Djokovic suggested that the expansion has diminished variety and left little room for traditional tour stops. Despite being “cold” in terms of official matches, he insisted he has prepared diligently in training. “I decided not to play because I wanted to spend more time with my family,” he added. “I’m not chasing the ranking, not collecting points, not defending anything, etc. I just don’t think about it anymore. What’s important is where I find motivation and joy.”

Over his two-decade career, Djokovic has lifted at least two trophies at every Masters event, yet he has drastically reduced his participation in recent years, bypassing Canada, Cincinnati, Madrid, and Rome. The shift reflects his narrowing focus on Slams and the fatigue other events bring with them.

Novak Djokovic is aiming to achieve an Open era record-equalling fifth US Open men's singles title 👊 pic.twitter.com/UMAWcGqC4J
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) August 23, 2025

Djokovic Room for the “Third Guy”

Djokovic has also kept a keen eye on the tour’s shifting power dynamics. He praised the ongoing duel between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner but hinted that tennis thrives when there’s a “third guy” to disrupt the script. “There are players that are able to have that ‘Djoker’ spot, the third spot,” he said with a grin. “I kind of empathize with the third guy, because I was in those shoes with Federer and Nadal. I want to see a third guy coming in.”

For now, Djokovic begins his US Open campaign against American Learner Tien. Whether he’s cold or not, he’s still very much in the mix, on court and in conversation.

Mandatory Image Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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I’m an academic turned sports writer from Raipur, India, specializing in the NFL, MMA, and tennis at The Playoffs. I previously wrote for Sportskeeda and hold a B.A. and M.A. in History. My journey into sports media began far from the field, rooted in the arts and sciences. Funny enough, I didn’t grow up a sports fan; I used to see it all as just noise. But a fateful writing job introduced me to the world of sports, and what began as a gig quickly became a passion. I understood those voices aren’t noise; they’re emotions of true sports fans, and now I am one of them, writing with the same energy I once questioned.