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Novak Djokovic will be aiming to lift a record 25th Grand Slam title in the upcoming US Open 2025. The Serbian ace already holds the record for most singles majors won by a male player in tennis history. However, a 25th title would see him surpass Australian legend Margaret Court for most singles Grand Slam titles won by any player across men's and women's tennis, before or during the Open Era.
But with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner continuing their domination across Grand Slam tournaments, it won't be an easy task for Djokovic to clinch a record 25th major. Djokovic last won a Grand Slam in 2023 and has been far from his best in major tournaments this year, despite having won the gold medal against Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics last year.
Former British no.1 Andrew Castle believes Djokovic is 'finished' in terms of winning Grand Slams and that a 25th title might be a distant dream for the Serbian ace despite his experience and calibre. Castle believes Djokovic might not be able to win another Grand Slam, with Sinner and Alcaraz around.
"It doesn’t look like much to me. I mean, it doesn’t look like to me that if Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are around that he could win another Grand Slam," Castle told Betway.
"It looks like the perception is, he’s finished in terms of winning Grand Slams. It’s the last kind of chapter in this storied career and now we analyse what he has done," he added.
The former British star said that Djokovic has enjoyed a fabulous career, achieving some magnificent feats, having won all four Grand Slam titles a number of times in his career. However, he insisted that the only way the 24-time Grand Slam champion can add a 25th title to his cabinet is if one of Sinner or Alcaraz gets injured or has a bad day during the tournament.
"At the French Open, I believe it was his 19th quarterfinal at the French Open alone. That is what the locker room talks about. I mean, the 24 Grand Slams is obviously ridiculous. But 19 French quarter-finals… and there’s records like that everywhere, and Novak’s won everything twice or three times. He’s won every single title," said Castle.
"Let’s just say he’s had a good run but how do you think that he feels about it? Well, okay, wait until Sinner gets injured and Carlos has a bad day and loses, then we can have a different conversation. But as long as those two are there, I can’t see Novak winning and it’s probably exactly what he expects people to say," he explained.
World no.6 Djokovic won his most recent Grand Slam crown at the US Open in 2023, but has since made it to only a solitary major final. He reached the Wimbledon 2024 final last year, where he lost to Alcaraz. In 2025, Djokovic has so far made it to the semi-finals of all three Grand Slams, however, he has failed to reach a single final. He lost to Sinner in straight sets in the semi-finals at Wimbledon 2025 last month.
Amid questions about his future, Castle said Djokovic should retire if he manages to win the US Open this year. The former British no.1 said he would love for Djokovic to win the US Open and clinch his 25th Grand Slam at a tournament, where he was disqualified in 2020 after accidentally hitting the ball in the line of the judge.
"I think that’s absolutely magnificent, and I would love it, I would be on my feet if he could get a run going and make it 25 Grand Slams at the US, especially the place where he was disqualified that one time. It would be glorious and the moment he wins the 25th, I think he should retire. You can’t go on forever, he should play as long as he wants but personally, I don’t think he is likely to win this one or another one," said Castle.
