Unrelenting Djokovic refuses to give up on record major dream as US Open begins

NEW YORK, Aug 29 : The 146th edition of the U.S. Open kicks off on Sunday, with former finalist and local favorite Jessica Pegula launching her bid to win her maiden Grand Slam, while Novak Djokovic continues his quest for a record 25th major.

Two-time winner Venus Williams will make her 26th appearance in the main draw, while Marta Kostyuk, who reached the semi-finals in the last two majors, looks to carry that momentum into the last Grand Slam of the year.

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Since winning the U.S. Open in 2023, Djokovic has reached two Grand Slam finals and six semi-finals, but a 25th major trophy, which would take him past Margaret Court to become the single most successful player in tennis history, has remained just beyond his reach.

But the 39-year-old, ranked fifth in the world, remains defiant in his pursuit, shrugging off the idea of retiring any time soon in a documentary about his life released earlier this month.

“I know a lot of people are retiring me already, for many years,” he said in the documentary "Novak Djokovic: the Wolf in Winter".

“Why would you want me to retire when I am still playing and competing at the highest level? I’m still top-five, top-10 in the world. Why would I talk about retirement when I am proving to myself that I can still win?”

Last year, Djokovic lost in the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams. He reached the Australian Open final this year, before reaching the last four at Wimbledon.

"I guess for 99 per cent of the players, that would be a very good Grand Slam result. For me, it's good but not good enough, because I'm blessed and cursed to be used to something of a highest degree in terms of results and achievements," Djokovic said after his Wimbledon loss