Novak Djokovic has made no secret of his wish to lift the Davis Cup once more for Serbia, and the recent win that booked the nation into next year’s opening round has left the door open for one last bid.

Djokovic famously held three match points against Jannik Sinner in a Davis Cup semi-final in Malaga in November 2023 but failed to convert and lost. The following day Sinner led Italy to Davis Cup glory. Since that moment Djokovic has not managed to get the better of a player who went on to win four Grand Slam titles in the two years that followed.

Djokovic did not play in Serbia’s home tie against Turkiye over the last couple of days, but his compatriots produced a 3-1 victory that sends Serbia into the first round for next year’s Davis Cup. That result would allow Djokovic to represent his country in January if he chooses to carry on beyond his 39th birthday and aim for a dramatic finish at the Davis Cup finals.

The decision is complicated by Djokovic’s recent admissions after the US Open, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic reached the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams in 2025, but he lost twice to Sinner in the semi-finals of the French Open and at Wimbledon, and then to Alcaraz at the US Open. Those results prompted a frank assessment from Djokovic:

“I can do only as much as I can do,” Djokovic said. “It will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the hurdle of Sinner and Alcaraz in best-of-five at Grand Slams.

“I think I have a better chance in best-of-three, but best-of-five, it’s tough.

“I’m not giving up on Grand Slams in that regard. I’m going to continue fighting and trying to get to the finals and fight for another trophy at least.”

Davis Cup ties use the shorter best-of-three format, which may appeal to Djokovic if he is weighing one more team campaign. He has long spoken of the competition’s importance:

“I’m always grateful to be once again in the national team,” said Djokovic back in 2023. “Davis Cup has been and is one of my greatest goals and it always will be.

“Davis Cup has been historically the most important team competition for nations in tennis. You know, over a hundred years old. It is the most important one to win for any tennis nation in the world. So hopefully I can win it again before I finish.”

This weekend Djokovic was a high-profile spectator as Greece faced Brazil in Athens, with Stefanos Tsitsipas losing to Joao Fonseca and Brazil advancing to the next round.

Emma Raducanu’s 2025 season has clear signs of revival, but matching the game’s most powerful players will demand further change. The 22-year-old, the 2021 US Open champion, has recorded match wins at all four Grand Slams this year and reached quarter-finals at WTA 500 events. After ending 2023 ranked around 300, she could finish 2025 back inside the top 20, and her on-court prize money is closing in on $1.5m for the year.

Raducanu has produced competitive showings against the very best. Two matches with world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, at Wimbledon and in Cincinnati, were tightly contested. At the same time, encounters with Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina have highlighted a recurring weakness: when opponents bring heavier serving and harder groundstrokes, Raducanu can be overwhelmed.

“I think when the very top players play against me, they have a point to prove that they’re at the top, and they’re there for a reason,” said Raducanu after the Rybakina defeat.

“I think every time I’ve played one, they’ve kind of shown that. So while I’m improving, doing better, gaining maybe some more respect around, I think the top have definitely raised their game.

“Developing my serve is important – it has got better but I think it can be even better.

“The ball after the serve as well, so I’m ready for a fast return, that’s where I have some big work to do.

“Once I’m in the rally I feel OK, but against Elena, I barely felt I was in a rally. Starting the point is extremely important at that level.”

Raducanu’s serve has improved in 2025 and her first-serve percentages in her opening two matches at the US Open underlined that progress. Still, that extra power and accuracy was missing under pressure against Rybakina. New coach Francisco Roig has shown a positive influence in his first weeks, but Raducanu also needs more punch from her ground game.

She has experimented with different strings and tensions during 2025, and her former coach Mark Petchey warned of the era of big hitters. “We’re in an era of big hitters. We talk about the pace of shots, from both Sabalenka and Anisimova,” said Petchey. “From Emma’s point of view her best style of winning matches is up on the baseline redirecting the ball, moving it around, trying to get the opponent to move before they get a chance to set on the ball. That’s obviously something that she’s going to have to keep getting better at.”

Raducanu has made substantial strides; the next step is adding consistent serve power and more aggressive groundstrokes so she can contend with the tour’s biggest hitters.

Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu will reunite in public after their recent US Open mixed doubles pairing, but this time they will be opponents. The two Grand Slam champions teamed for the revamped US Open mixed doubles event and drew significant attention, yet their run ended in the opening round with a 4-2, 4-2 loss to Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula.

“It was fun, to be honest. The people, the energy that was there was great. Almost full, Arthur Ashe. I loved the atmosphere, I loved the support, and I love the format, to be honest,” Alcaraz said. “I just had fun. It was great. Not the result that we wanted. I think we could have been much better if we could have prepared much better. But it was great.”

Raducanu added: “I think it was a huge success. I think so many fans got involved, so many people watching and tuned in. It got a lot of attention.

“I think it was a great idea. And, yeah, I had a lot of fun on the court playing with Carlos.”

Both players have since been confirmed for the post-season exhibition A Racquet at The Rock on Sunday, December 7 in New Jersey, United States. Alcaraz, fresh from winning the US Open title after beating defending champion Jannik Sinner in four sets in the final, has appeared in several exhibition matches in recent years. Raducanu, by contrast, rarely takes part in such events.

The exhibition field also includes Frances Tiafoe and Amanda Anisimova. It will not be a mixed doubles format: six-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz will face Tiafoe, while Raducanu will play Anisimova.

Anisimova enjoyed a strong 2025, winning her first WTA 1000 title at the Qatar Open in February, finishing runner-up to Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon and then runner-up at the US Open, losing to Aryna Sabalenka. Raducanu and Anisimova met three times on tour in 2025; Raducanu leads their head-to-head 2-1 after wins at the Australian Open and Miami Open, while Anisimova won their most recent meeting at the Canadian Open. Alcaraz and Tiafoe have met three times, with Alcaraz leading 2-1 after victories at Wimbledon in 2024 and the US Open in 2022; Tiafoe’s win came in Barcelona in 2021.

As with most exhibition events, the emphasis will be on entertainment rather than competitive form.