Four-time US Open champion Novak Djokovic addressed the media ahead of the 2025 edition of the tournament. The Serb spoke on a myriad of topics, such as the increasing prize pool in the current US Open, entering the tournament after not playing a single match after Wimbledon, and prioritizing tournaments by choosing to spend time with his family.
This year's US Open has a prize pool of $90 million, $15 million more than the 2024 edition. It is also the richest Grand Slam, surpassing Wimbledon, the Australian Open, and the French Open.
"It is always nice and positive to see that the Grand Slams are willing to improve the prize money overall, across the board, for the players, but whether it's an ideal situation for us, I don't think so. I think there's still a lot more room for improvement in that sense. I'm not talking about myself because I've seen that in the past when I talk about this topic, people like to say, 'Look at him, wanting more money for himself.' It's not about that. I'm just talking in general," Djokovic began.
"Not many tennis players globally live off of this sport, and that's not something that I see has been talked about enough. But it's also important to understand that we live in a very commercial world. The entertainment and sports business is very big, and for Grand Slams, they're doing very well. So, the US Open increased the prize money. Other slams are doing it too, but they also have a bigger revenue than the previous year, and then there's the inflation part, which is a completely different topic but important to take into consideration when you talk about these things. But overall, it's definitely a positive step," Djokovic further added.
Djokovic had earlier said that there is "no gas left in the tank" for the later stages of tournaments due to the exhausting nature of the Grand Slams. Unlike other competitors, he isn’t coming in with a lot of preparation. When asked how he feels coming in "cold" to the tournament, Djokovic replied:
"I haven't had any matches since Wimbledon, so it is the right term in a sense, but I've put in a lot of training in the last three or four weeks, and I decided not to play because I wanted to spend more time with my family. I think I've earned my right and have the luxury of kind of choosing and picking where I want to go and what I want to play. And, to be frank, I don't enjoy the two-week Masters' events anymore. 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. However, we currently have what feels like 12 Grand Slams a year, informally. Grand Slams are two weeks, and the other Masters' events are almost two weeks as well. So, I'm not prioritizing a heavy schedule as I used to. I'm not chasing the rankings or building up my points or defending anything, etc. I don't think about it anymore."
When choosing tournaments, Djokovic replied that he asks himself where he finds the motivation and joy and gets the inspiration to play his best tennis. Along with that, he also wants to prioritize spending time with his family.
"The Slams are the four main tournaments where I always feel the most motivation, and then there are other tournaments here and there where I don't actually have a schedule other than the Slams. I kind of feel in a moment how I want to balance things out with other priorities in life, family, of course, being the main one and being there for the important dates. Speaking of which, I'm going to miss out on my daughter's birthday, which is the 2nd of September. So, if I'm doing well, I'm still here. But those are the types of things that I really don't want to be missing anymore. So, on a personal level, it's important for me to be there and to show up for the people who have been showing up for me for all these years of playing tennis."
Novak Djokovic will begin his 2025 US Open first round campaign against World No. 48 and California-born Learner Tien on Monday. This will be the first head to head encounter between the two players.
