Analytics & Stats ATP
Rick Macci: Why Novak Djokovic is likely to continue after the 2025 US Open
Macci: ‘I think he’ll keep playing’ — Djokovic likely to continue while he still loves tennis 2025
Novak Djokovic’s run at the 2025 US Open ended in the semi-finals with a 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-2 defeat to Carlos Alcaraz. The loss completed a year in which Djokovic reached the semi-finals at all four Grand Slam events, a notable feat as he turned 38 in May.
Across those four major semi-finals in 2025, Djokovic was unable to take a set, with physical limitations repeatedly noted. Before New York he had suffered straight-set semi-final defeats to Jannik Sinner at both Wimbledon and the French Open. At the Australian Open he retired after losing a gruelling first set to Alexander Zverev when a hamstring issue — sustained in his quarter-final win over Alcaraz — forced him out.
The Serbian’s most recent Grand Slam victory remains his 24th, earned at the 2023 US Open. Since the start of 2024 he has claimed two titles: last year’s Paris Olympics and the 2025 Geneva Open.
Rick Macci offered a perspective on Djokovic’s future and probability of retirement. Macci, who coached Venus and Serena Williams during their childhood, said: “I think he’ll keep playing simply because, once again, kind of like Venus [Williams] — but obviously it’s different – he just loves the competition,” said the American.
He added: “Why would you want to put your body through that, get up every day, he has a family… you’re not doing it for a paycheck! He just loves the competition. And I think if he feels he can win, okay, he’ll continue to play.
“Now, Roland Garros, I don’t know. I just think because the rallies are longer, you gotta bring your breakfast, lunch and dinner on red clay. It’s a little different situation. Grass, to me, was his best shot.
“But yeah, I think he’ll keep playing because he loves the competition. But, the minute he doesn’t play the Grand Slams; game, set, match — he’ll call it a career.
“But as long as he still loves it and he feels he has a chance, he’s gonna go for it. And never, ever, ever underestimate the heart of a champion.”
On the realistic path to another major, Macci argued luck and the state of rivals would play a role. “I think the only way he could win a Slam… it’s not gonna happen on clay, it’s just too physical, three out of five, I just think it’s too much on the body,” Macci assessed.
“And if the draw would break correctly, I know that happens with anybody, but let’s face it, if the draw broke correctly, if Alcaraz or Sinner got hurt, or you got a couple of walkovers… if things broke for him, absolutely [Djokovic could win].”
Analytics & Stats ATP
Djokovic Sets New Standard with 860 Weeks in ATP Top 5
Novak Djokovic begins his record 860th week in the ATP Top 5, overtaking Roger Federer’s mark. Now.
Novak Djokovic has extended his dominance in the ATP rankings by beginning his 860th career week inside the Top 5, a mark that moves him past Roger Federer’s previous record of 859 weeks.
The player currently listed at No. 4 on the rankings reached the milestone this week, adding another long-term statistical achievement to a resume already dense with records. Official ATP rankings began in August of 1973, and Djokovic’s run now stands as the most career weeks in the Top 5 in ATP history.
The scale of his consistency is underlined by where those weeks were spent. Of the 860 Top 5 weeks, Djokovic has occupied the No. 1 position for 428 weeks, the clear lead in ATP rankings history. Federer is next with 310 weeks at No. 1.
Breaking that total down further highlights Djokovic’s sustained excellence: 49.8 percent of his Top 5 weeks (428) were at No. 1. He has spent 599 weeks in the Top 2, representing 69.7 percent of his Top 5 span. His time in the Top 3 totals 764 weeks, or 88.8 percent, and he has held a Top 4 position for 823 weeks, equal to 95.7 percent of his Top 5 weeks.
Those numbers reflect a career defined by long stretches at the very top of the sport rather than brief spikes. Reaching 860 weeks in the Top 5 is a cumulative testament to performance across seasons and surfaces, and it establishes a new benchmark for longevity among the modern era’s leading players.
Roger Federer’s long-standing record of 859 weeks has now been overtaken, and the milestone underscores the extraordinary durability of Djokovic’s presence among the elite. And there’s another record on the horizon, too.
Analytics & Stats Finals
No. 1 Seeds Extend Streak to Seven Straight WTA Titles
No. 1 seeds have won seven straight WTA events, compiling a 35-0 run across seven weeks. Remarkable.
Elena Rybakina defeated Karolina Muchova to claim the Stuttgart crown, 7-5, 6-1, and Marta Kostyuk beat Veronika Podrez for the Rouen title, 6-3, 6-4. Those finals completed another chapter in an unusual run on the women’s tour: top seeds have won the last seven WTA events in a row.
The run began in early March with Aryna Sabalenka at Indian Wells and has continued through seven tournaments and seven weeks. Top seeds are 35-0 over the last seven weeks at WTA events: Sabalenka 6-0 at Indian Wells and 6-0 in Miami; Pegula 5-0 in Charleston; Bouzkova 5-0 in Bogota; Andreeva 4-0 in Linz; Rybakina 4-0 in Stuttgart; and Kostyuk 5-0 in Rouen.
Those 35 consecutive wins did not all come without drama. In the first tournament of the streak, Indian Wells, Sabalenka faced a match point against Rybakina down 6-5 in the third-set tie-break in the final before sneaking out the win, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6). In Stuttgart, Rybakina saved two match points in the third set, one down 5-4 and another down 6-5 in the breaker, to survive Leylah Fernandez in the quarterfinals, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (6).
There were also a string of three-set victories elsewhere, including several from Pegula in Charleston before she closed out that event in straight sets. At each tournament the top seed has reached the finish line, producing an unbroken run of title-clinching performances by No. 1 seeds across the most recent slate of WTA events.
CHAMPIONS AT THE LAST SEVEN WTA EVENTS:
Analytics & Stats
Cirstea reaches 20 tour-level wins faster than ever in final season
Cirstea reached 20 tour-level wins in 2026 faster than ever, after announcing 2026 as her last year
Sorana Cirstea reached a career milestone on Friday night, logging her 20th tour-level victory of 2026 and doing so earlier in the season than at any point in her two-decade career. The achievement came amid a campaign that has grown stronger since she announced in the off-season that 2026 would be her final year on tour.
Cirstea recorded the landmark win by defeating Anna Bondar 7-6 (2), 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the clay-court event in Rouen, France. That victory pushed her to 20 tour-level victories for the season faster than she ever previously managed. Her prior earliest 20th win came in 2013, when she reached the mark during the grass-court season in Birmingham.
The Romanian’s form this year has been notable. Now 20-6 in 2026, Cirstea has advanced to her second WTA semifinal of the season. Earlier in the year she captured the fourth WTA title of her career at the indoor hard-court event in Cluj-Napoca, Romania in February, which was also her first career WTA title on home soil. Observers traced the momentum back to a strong second half of 2025, after which she made the decision to make 2026 her swan song on the circuit.
The Rouen quarterfinal win underlined a consistency that has defined Cirstea’s campaign: effective conversion of tight moments, shown in a first-set tiebreak, followed by a more decisive second set. The result keeps her on course for another deep run at the clay-court event and extends a season that has already produced a title, multiple semifinals and a personal-best pace to 20 tour-level victories.
As the season unfolds, Cirstea’s earlier-than-ever arrival at this milestone will remain one of the defining storylines of her final year on tour.
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