Novak Djokovic Cruises Past Jan-Lennard Struff To Keep US Open Dreams Alive

Sometimes you just know when greatness is in the building. Sunday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium had that unmistakable feeling—like watching Tom Brady in the fourth quarter or Michael Jordan with the game on the line. Only this time, it was Novak Djokovic doing what he’s done better than anyone for nearly two decades: making tennis look ridiculously easy when it matters most.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion dismantled German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 in a performance so clinical it bordered on surgical. At 38 years old, an age when most athletes are telling war stories from their La-Z-Boys, Djokovic looked like he was playing a different sport entirely. Can he keep playing at such a high level?

The Masterclass That Nobody Saw Coming

Here’s the thing about watching Djokovic work his magic—it’s deceptively simple until you realize what you’re actually witnessing. Struff came into this match riding a wave of confidence after taking out Holger Rune and Frances Tiafoe in consecutive matches. The big German had been crushing serves and dictating rallies like he owned the joint. Then he ran into the Serbian buzzsaw.

“I just saw the stats, I out-served one of the guys that had the most aces during the tournament this year,” Djokovic said afterward, and you could almost hear the collective gulp from every remaining player in the draw. When the best returner in tennis history starts serving bombs, that’s when you know the tournament just got a whole lot scarier for everyone else.

A Body That Refuses To Quit

Let’s address the elephant in the room—Djokovic’s body. The man needed not one, but two visits from ATP physiotherapist Clay Sniteman during the match. First for his shoulder and neck area, then for his right forearm. At this point, watching Djokovic get worked on by trainers is like watching a Formula 1 pit crew. It is just part of the high-performance machinery keeping the engine running.

But here is what separates champions from mortals: while lesser players might let physical concerns creep into their heads, Djokovic treats these interruptions like brief intermissions in his personal highlight reel. The massage breaks seemed to only sharpen his focus, like he was getting tuned up rather than patched up.

Setting Up a Quarterfinal Blockbuster

With Struff dispatched in just one hour and 49 minutes, Djokovic now faces a juicy quarterfinal matchup against fourth seed Taylor Fritz. And here’s where the numbers get absolutely ridiculous—Djokovic leads their head-to-head record 10-0. That’s not a typo. Fritz has never beaten Djokovic. Not once. Not even close, really, having won just 23 of the 26 sets they’ve played.

Fritz, to his credit, looked sharp in his own fourth-round demolition of Tomas Machac, needing just 98 minutes to book his quarterfinal spot. The American crowd will be behind him, but facing Djokovic with a perfect record hanging over your head? That is the kind of pressure that turns promising careers into cautionary tales.

The Record That Keeps Growing

Lost in all the talk about young guns Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominating the sport is this inconvenient truth: Djokovic just set another record that might never be broken. This marks his ninth season reaching the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slams—a feat of consistency that’s almost insulting to everyone else who’s tried to play professional tennis.

Think about that for a second. Nine different years where Djokovic has been good enough, healthy enough, and mentally tough enough to reach the business end of every major tournament. In an era where players routinely skip events to “manage their bodies,” Djokovic continues showing up and showing out like he’s got something to prove.

The Bigger Picture

Sure, 2025 hasn’t been the Djokovic show from start to finish. Sinner and Alcaraz have grabbed most of the headlines, and rightfully so. But as we head into the final week of the US Open, there is something poetic about the old lion still prowling around, picking off younger prey with the kind of ruthless efficiency that built his legend.

The man is 38 years old and still making tennis look like a video game set to easy mode. His serve was clicking, his movement was fluid, and his mental game remained as unshakeable as ever. When Djokovic plays like this, you remember why he’s collected 24 Grand Slam titles and why he’s still the most dangerous floater in any draw. As the quarterfinals approach, one thing is crystal clear: reports of Novak Djokovic’s decline have been greatly exaggerated. The king isn’t ready to abdicate his throne just yet.