Roddick doubts Djokovic for 2026: "He himself said he doesn't know if his body will hold up"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 26 Dec 2025 | 08.00

Roddick doubts Djokovic for 2026: "He himself said he doesn't know if his body will hold up." Photo: Gettyimages

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Andy Roddick is not so sure about Novak Djokovic's chances for the upcoming season. The last American world number one and Grand Slam champion (US Open 2003) has been very skeptical about the Serbian's odds of securing his 25th Grand Slam, the latest major goal of his career.

And not just because he has two players better than him, like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who have knocked him out in the semifinals of three out of four Grand Slams (Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open). But also because the physical condition of a 38-year-old player cannot be pushed as it used to be.

In fact, physical fitness has been one of the main reasons why the Serbian couldn't compete on an equal footing with Alcaraz and Sinner. In the three encounters where he was defeated by the Spaniard or Italian, he arrived with very low energy levels, and his victory against the Spaniard in the Australian Open quarterfinals left him injured.

Djokovic himself is aware that he needs to make a leap in his physical preparation to fight for his coveted 25th Grand Slam. In fact, he has confirmed that he is undergoing a body reconstruction. "I'm trying to rebuild the machine. I have been injured more often in the last 18 months, so I'm trying to rebuild my body so that the start of the next season is excellent and, hopefully, I can match the best," he stated in late November.

Andy Roddick expresses doubts about Novak Djokovic's physical condition for 2026

However, Andy Roddick is not entirely convinced and in his well-known podcast, he posed a question: "Will he be able to train in 2026 as he did in his best years? Because in 2025, he couldn't, and he admitted it himself. I don't know if he will be able to keep training like before. I doubt that anyone at 38 years old can train at maximum capacity. And if he can't, how will his body endure all the effort required in two exhausting weeks of Grand Slams? Winning in three sets. This year, the answer was no. He admitted it himself."

Nebraska's own highlighted Djokovic's physical uncertainty, observing his performance in the Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and US Open semifinals: "He said that he doesn't know if his body will hold up. That when he reaches a Grand Slam semifinal, he doesn't know if he can win if his body is already exhausted. That's the most important question of this conversation."

Accompanying the former tennis player was the American journalist John Wertheim, who, on the contrary, showed optimism about Djokovic's future: "Novak loves challenges. His surroundings say the same. I believe that the best always find something that motivates them. I think Djokovic is now intrigued by the challenge: 'Can I surpass time?' I think that will be his motivation."

Ultimately, the upcoming season of Novak Djokovic will be filled with these situations, with people who will support him and others who will doubt him, but if there is one thing the Serbian knows, it is how to come back to life when counted out. Will he do it again in 2026?

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Roddick duda de Djokovic para 2026: "Él mismo dijo que no sabe si su cuerpo lo aguantará"