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.

Carlos Alcaraz surprised expectations in Berlin when he selected Casper Ruud to play the opening rubber on the final day of the 2024 Laver Cup. Team Europe trailed 4-8 when Alcaraz chose a player who had endured a difficult two days.

Ruud had lost his first match to Francisco Cerundolo and then suffered a 6-1, 6-2 doubles defeat with Stefanos Tsitsipas, a result that left him feeling “a bit humiliated.” Despite that form, Alcaraz made him his partner for the crucial night session.

“I felt like I’d never played doubles before, I felt embarrassed, but I went to bed knowing Carlos had said he’d like to play doubles with me,” shared Ruud. The boost from that conversation proved important. Ruud and Alcaraz were pitted against Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe and responded with a composed performance.

A tactical switch, moving Ruud from the ad court to the deuce court, helped change the dynamics of the match. The pair combined steady returns, assured serving and aggressive net play to claim a 6-2, 7-6(6) victory. The match reached a dramatic match-point tiebreak conclusion before Ruud and Alcaraz celebrated together with a shared embrace.

“For some reason he picked me. I don’t know why, but I was happy to play.”

Ruud later reflected on the on-court chemistry. “We think we connected well. We moved good kind of with each other. When we crossed, we covered the other guy’s side and so on. We were returning well and playing good behind our serve, and at the net we hit some good volleys, and Carlos hit a few unbelievable ones. Yeah, it was fun, good chemistry.”

The victory proved pivotal for Team Europe in Berlin and remains a memorable doubles moment from the Laver Cup.

Boris Becker offered a blunt assessment after Jannik Sinner was unable to defend his US Open title, falling 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s men’s singles final. The loss cost Sinner the championship and allowed Alcaraz to reclaim the world No 1 ranking.

Becker pointed to a specific weakness that Alcaraz exploited throughout the match. “From the first minute to the last, Alcaraz was clearly better than all the other players and even better than Sinner,” said Becker. “In the final, he was clearly the boss. He played tennis from another planet and deserved to win the tournament.

“The big difference I noticed in this duel was on serve; Sinner was clearly weaker, and that’s unforgiving, if he has a real weakness, it’s this one.”

The defeat extended Alcaraz’s dominance in their rivalry: it was Sinner’s seventh loss to Alcaraz in eight meetings since the start of 2024, leaving Alcaraz with a 10-5 advantage in the head-to-head. During that period Sinner lost only four matches to players other than the Spaniard. Alcaraz’s victory also brought him level with Becker on two US Open titles and six Grand Slam trophies overall.

Becker said he had expected more from Sinner and felt the Italian had not advanced in the ways Alcaraz had. “I am one who always thinks to tell the truth. I was a little disappointed. I expected more.

“But of course I was not disappointed by Alcaraz. Because he really played tennis better today than a year ago. He had more variations, he had speed changes. He played serve volley. He played backhand slice. He played forehand where you don’t see the ball.

“And I think Sinner, for the first time, he stood still with his game. He is now predictable. You know exactly what always happens. And it’s not as bad that I see it that way. It’s worse for him that Alcaraz sees it that way.

“And I think for the first time that Alcaraz really took a step forward. And Sinner stayed the same. He partly didn’t know how to win the points. Except Alcaraz hit the ball.

“In his press conference after the match, Sinner, always said very honestly, that he [Alcaraz] has developed further in tennis and I have not. And I think it’s great that he says that. But that’s how I felt it.

“There was never a discussion for me, even after the second set, who would win this match in the end. And I didn’t see that in any other final between the two.”

Both players are scheduled to compete at the Shanghai Masters next month, where Sinner will aim to defend the title he won in 2024.