Escude doubts Djokovic's belief of beating Alcaraz, Sinner at US Open

Former French tennis player Nicolas Escude has expressed uncertainty over Novak Djokovic’s belief that he can knock out Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner back-to-back at the US Open.

Novak Djokovic defeated American Taylor Fritz 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 to set up a semi-final against Alcaraz as he continues his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title.

The 38-year-old entered the match with a perfect 10-0 record against Fritz but was pushed to his limits by last year’s runner-up before sealing the deal and staying on track for another historic milestone.

Djokovic holds a 5-3 head-to-head record against the Spaniard and beat him on the last two occasions, including the 2025 Australian Open quarter-finals.

However, Alcaraz has secured 35 victories in his last 36 matches.

Sinner, meanwhile, has defeated Djokovic five times in a row.

In a recent interview, Escude has made a bold claim, saying Novak Djokovic himself does not believe he can beat Alcaraz and Sinner in consecutive matches to clinch the US Open title.

“In my opinion, he has a motivation, an objective that we don’t know, that we don’t control, that belongs only to him,” Escude said.

“When he sees Sinner and Alcaraz playing, I can’t believe he’s there saying to himself: ‘OK, I’ll take them both out one after the other, I have everything I need to do it.’

“He must feel that this is a level where, today, he is no longer capable of playing.”

Djokovic, after Fritz's victory, admitted he had concerns over his body, but he can beat Alcaraz and Sinner.

“Everybody’s probably expecting and anticipating the finals between two of them. I’m going to try to, you know, mess up the plans of most of the people and let’s see,” Djokovic said.

“You know, I mean, they’ve been dominant force since the beginning of the tournament, but, you know, I definitely am not going with the white flag on the court. I don’t think anybody does, really, when they play them, but particularly not me.”