Why is defending the US Open title become a rare feat in last two decades?

Novak Djokovic is yet to defend his title at the US Open.

The last male tennis player to defend his US Open title was Roger Federer. The tennis legend dominated the hard courts at Flushing Meadows as the grass surfaces at the All England Lawn with an unparalleled charm in the 2000s.

Rafael Nadal was the absolute ruler of Stade Roland Garros from the late 2000s and early 2020s, where he also got the title of the ‘King of Clay’. Later, Novak Djokovic took command at the Australian Open, winning ten titles between 2008 and 2023. Additionally, Wimbledon also became Djokovic’s territory, where the Serb has won eight titles, equal to Pete Sampras.

However, he has also failed to defend his title, even once at Flushing Meadows. Since 2009, the Arthur Ashe Stadium has witnessed nine different men’s singles champions. In this period, Djokovic and Nadal have won the title four times, but they have failed to win the title in two consecutive years.

The US Open is the last Grand Slam of the year, which is usually played in the last week of August or the first few weeks of September. At the time, a majority of players have played around 50 matches, including the three Grand Slams. The matches also take place on different surfaces, i.e., grass and clay.

After playing plenty of matches, players usually get somehow tired or injured. For example, in the current scenario, Carlos Alcaraz is suffering from forearm issues while Jannik Sinner has constantly complained about his hip injury. Novak Djokovic has undergone a surgical procedure for a torn meniscus while Alexander Zverev‘s knee has created problems for the German throughout the season.

However, the question that arises here is, how did Roger Federer manage to defend the US Open title for five consecutive years?

During the time, when Roger Federer defended his title at Flushing Meadows, he played only two five-set matches in five years. In 2004, he played a five-set marathon against Andre Agassi in the quarterfinals after he got a walkover in the round of 16 courtesy of Andrei Pavel’s withdrawal. Next year, he won the tournament by dropping only three sets throughout the campaign.

In 2006, Federer dropped only two sets and defeated Andy Roddick 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 to win his third consecutive US Open title. Next year, he won the title again while dropping only two sets throughout the fortnight. In 2008, he played a five-setter against Russia’s Igor Andreev but later won the title by defeating Andy Murray.

Federer knew how to keep matches short with the help of his on-court prowess and flair and that rewarded him with five consecutive US Open titles. The Swiss Maestro lost to Argentina’s Juan Martín del Potro in a five-set final.

In simple terms, a tennis player’s body undergoes a lot of wear and tear throughout the year before they arrive in New York, and it plays a major role in a star failing to defend their title at Flushing Meadows.

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