Andy Roddick thinks that in 2026, Novak Djokovic will have to figure out if he's still physically up to playing those long, best-of-five-set matches for two weeks straight at a Grand Slam.

This year, even at 38, Djokovic was usually reliable in Grand Slam matches, making it to the semis in all four major tournaments.

In Australia, he beat Carlos Alcaraz but hurt his hamstring and had to quit against Alexander Zverev in the semi-final match. In the following three Grand Slams, the former top player got beaten twice by Jannik Sinner and once by Alcaraz. In fact, the Serb didn't even win a set in those last three Slam losses.

After Alcaraz knocked him out in the US Open semi-final, Djokovic said it's getting harder to keep up with the Spaniard and Sinner physically in those long matches. But, he also said he'd be back in 2026 with the same goal.

Roddick's wondering about Djokovic:

Roddick thinks Djokovic's chances in the 2026 Grand Slam depend on his health. He needs to stay fit if he wants a real shot at winning seven best-of-five matches.

The big question is... and even he was wondering about this after the US Open. I don't think he can train as hard as he used to. "I bet he can't train that crazy hard—and I mean that in a good way—when he's 38," Roddick said on his podcast.

And if he can't do that, can his body hold up for two weeks at a major, playing best-of-five matches? This year, the answer was no; he even admitted it.

He was like, 'I don't know if my body can do it. And if I make it to the semis, can I beat these guys if I'm already worn out?' That's the whole point.

Djokovic will be 39 during the next French Open.

Over the past couple of years, Carlos Alcaraz has become a huge deal in sports marketing, even bigger than his ATP ranking suggests. He's not just playing in the usual Grand Slams and Masters 1000 tourneys; he's also got a bunch of exhibition matches that are almost as demanding as his regular schedule. Some people are wondering about this, particularly since he's complained about the tough ATP schedule and how it can lead to exhaustion and injuries.

The 22-year-old says that these exhibitions aren't as hard on his body as the real tournaments. He says he plans many of them during the off-season or in slower weeks.

Even so, the 6-time major winner has played in at least 10 exhibitions over the past two years, jetting around to Europe, the US, and Saudi Arabia, turning his downtime into paid promotional trips.

His recent split with his longtime coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, has brought this heavy workload back into the spotlight. Marion Bartoli, a former Wimbledon champ, thinks this could have been a source of tension, hinting that Ferrero might not have been too happy with all the extra matches Alcaraz was playing.

Even with the coaching change, the Alcaraz machine keeps going, recently announcing another exhibition against Joao Fonseca in December 2026, plus a big match against Jannik Sinner in Korea in February.

This mix of events is a new way for tennis stars to handle their careers, balancing performance with entertainment. Some worry about burnout, but Alcaraz's team sees these events as important for staying visible to fans worldwide. By making these matches into big events, Alcaraz is keeping his brand strong even when the regular tour is quiet. But how this strategy will affect him in the long run is still up in the air.

2024: Media Push and Saudi Arabia

Alcaraz kicked off his super exhibition phase in 2024 with the Netflix Slam in Las Vegas. It wasn't just a match; it was like a passing of the torch moment, with Alcaraz facing Rafael Nadal in front of a huge online audience. It was Alcaraz's first real test to see if he could draw in viewers outside of regular tennis, and he showed that his personality could carry a show that felt like a major boxing event.

Then, the exhibition season got super lucrative with the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia. This tourney had all the top players and the biggest prize money ever. Alcaraz didn't just play; he proved that the Kingdom's investment in tennis was worth it, putting on a great final against Jannik Sinner. It made people think that the best matches of the year might not always be in the usual big tennis venues anymore.

At the end of 2024, Alcaraz built up his presence in the US with the Garden Cup in New York and another event in Charlotte, playing against Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe. These stops in December helped him stay in shape during the off-season and win over fans in North America. Playing at Madison Square Garden is a big deal for sports stars, and Alcaraz used these dates to get more popular in the US, which is key for his sponsors and his global image.

2025: Becoming a Global Star

The 2025 schedule started with the Battle of Legends in March, which showed that Alcaraz could fill stadiums all by himself. The event included a women's match between Venus Williams and Monica Puig, and Alcaraz played Frances Tiafoe again. This event showed that Alcaraz could be the main attraction in different kinds of events and draw crowds in places that aren't typically tennis hotspots, mixing sports and entertainment even more.

His participation in the 2025 Laver Cup and the second Six Kings Slam showed that these events are now a regular part of his yearly plan. At the Laver Cup, Alcaraz was the main guy for Team Europe, taking on the role that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal used to have. And his return to Riyadh showed that Saudi Arabia is becoming a major player in tennis, with Alcaraz being important to the success of these big projects.

Exhibition History: Carlos Alcaraz (2024-2025)

2024 Season

The Netflix Slam | March 3 | Las Vegas, USA | vs. Rafael Nadal

Laver Cup | September 20-22 | Berlin, Germany | Team Europe

Six Kings Slam | October 16 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Invitational Tournament

The Garden Cup | December 4 | New York, USA (MSG) | vs. Ben Shelton

Charlotte Invitational | December 6 | Charlotte, USA | vs. Frances Tiafoe

2025 Season

The Battle of Legends | March 2 | Las Vegas, USA | vs. Frances Tiafoe

Laver Cup | September 19-21 | San Francisco, USA | Team Europe

Six Kings Slam | October 15 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Invitational Tournament

A Racquet at the Rock | December 7 | Newark, USA | vs. Frances Tiafoe

Miami Invitational | December 8 | Miami, USA | vs. Joao Fonseca