Novak Djokovic Has Strong Words for Top Players Going Int…

Tennis legend Novak Djokovic didn’t hold back going into the U.S. Open.

Djokovic, who plays on Aug. 24, spoke at a pre-U.S. Open media event about his priorities, family, things that give him joy, and the comments made by top players who have raised scheduling concerns.

Players from Carlos Alcaraz to Taylor Fritz have raised concerns that the professional tennis schedule is too punishing, perhaps exemplified by the number-one-ranked player, Jannik Sinner, suddenly withdrawing mid-match from the Cincinnati Open due to illness, and by Sinner and Alcaraz skipping the Canadian Open in Toronto.

According to The New York Times, the controversy stems from the ATP Tour’s decision to lengthen many non-Grand Slam tournaments, making them grueling “12-day events.”

And Djokovic had a lot to say about all of that.

“I’ve noticed that a lot of players, top players, have been quite opposed to the new change of the almost two-week events at the master’s level. Yeah. I mean, I supported players, but in the end of the day, when the players needed to be active, and when there was time of negotiations and decision making, players weren’t participating enough,” Djokovic told the media.

“And this is an ongoing story. You know, of the players, particularly top players, they just, you know, they express their feelings, but then when you really need to put in the time and the energy into conversations, meetings, which I know it’s very difficult,” he added.

“I mean, I’ve been there, trust me, many times, but it’s necessary, because then you know you’re doing something, not only for yourself, but future generations, and then you’re making the right, right moves, right steps, and contributing. And I don’t know. I don’t know. Let’s see what happens. I just doubt anything will change in a foreseeable future when it comes to these contracts that are quite solid and bring a lot of revenue to the tournaments,” said Djokovic.

ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi previously defended the longer ATP Masters 1000 structure.

“The expanded format does increase time on-site, and that’s a real consideration. But it also unlocks the revenue potential needed to elevate the entire Tour. Reforms like these were debated at length – with the Player Advisory Council, with the Board – over several years,” he said, according to the ATP Tour.

“One of our clear strategic goals is to provide more money to more players.”

However, Djokovic made it clear that he’s not going to compete in non-Grand Slam tournaments anymore.

“Obviously, I didn’t have any matches since Wimbledon…But you know, I’ve put in a lot of training in the last three, four weeks, and I decided not to, not to play because I wanted to spend more time with my family,” Djokovic said.

“And to be honest, you know, I mean, I’ve, I think I earned my right and have the luxury of, of of kind, of choosing, picking, choosing where I want to go and what I want to play. And to be quite frank with you. I don’t enjoy the two-week masters’ events anymore,” he added.

“It’s just way too long for me. My focus is mostly on the slams, and I’ve said that before, but I also like other tournaments. I’d like to play more of the other tournaments, but I just, you know, we have currently, informally or unofficially, 12 grand slams a year. You know, when you think about it, I mean, Grand Slam is two weeks, and the,” noted Djokovic.

“Other masters’ events are almost two weeks as well. So yeah, so it’s just I’m not anymore prioritizing the heavy schedule as I used to. I’m not chasing the rankings or building up my points or defending or et cetera, I just don’t think about it anymore,” he concluded.

“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. And then, and then the other tournaments here and there, where I, you know, I don’t actually have any schedule other than slams.”

He said that life and family are his priorities, noting that his daughter’s birthday is coming up.

The scheduling debate grew after the top two men’s players, Sinner and Alcaraz, skipped the Canadian Open in 2025.

“Withdrawals are part of professional sport, especially in one as physically demanding as tennis,” Gaudenzi said to the ATP Tour. “In this case, both Jannik and Carlos had deep runs to the finals of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon—an incredible achievement. With only a two-week turnaround between Wimbledon and Toronto this year, the schedule was particularly tight.”

Alcaraz has bemoaned the new schedule in strong terms.

“They will kill us in some way. At this stage, many good tennis players risk losing their tournaments due to injuries. Sometimes it happens that I don’t want to go to a tournament: I must not lie, I have felt that way a few times,” he told Tennis World USA.

Taylor Fritz also joined in the criticism. “It’s a tough time of year because there’s no week where it makes sense to take a break,” he said, according to Tennis365.