Can Norrie test Djokovic's 'vulnerability'?

Cameron Norrie, who beat Francisco Comesana in the US Open second round, has lost to Djokovic twice this season

US Open 2025

Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 24 August-7 September

Coverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website & app

How do you solve a problem like Novak Djokovic?

It is a question hundreds of players have asked themselves over the past two decades - and many have never been able to answer it.

Cameron Norrie can count himself among that number.

The 29-year-old Briton goes into their US Open third-round meeting on Friday having lost all six of his previous meetings with the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

With Djokovic looking flustered in his first two rounds in New York, Norrie hopes he can benefit from the effects of time on the 38-year-old Serb.

Novak Djokovic won his last Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open

"The chances are getting better as the years ago on - although not by much," said Norrie, who is ranked 35th in the world.

"The level he brings and the competitiveness he brings is crazy. Every time I've played him he changes tactics and makes it difficult.

"I'm ready for anything - him playing unreal, or him not playing great and stopping the match for something, then playing good."

Djokovic looked unsteady on his feet in humid conditions during his first-round win over Learner Tien and needed treatment for a blister on his toe.

Seventh seed Djokovic had not played for six weeks before the US Open and showed more signs of rustiness on Wednesday, dropping a set against American qualifier Zachary Svajda.

It is always dangerous to suggest Djokovic looks vulnerable, and Norrie is certainly wary.

But Norrie's brand of tennis - trying to make things physical and drag Djokovic into an energy-sapping scrap - could be key if the former world number eight is to snap his losing streak against the Serb great.

""I will have to beat him with physicality," said Norrie, who showed his own survival instincts in a four-set battle against Argentina's Francisco Comesana on Wednesday.

"I did see the blister but he's the king of adversity. He fights and pushes through it.

"I'm not going to be a servebot and serve him off the court."

Lopsided head-to-head records are not unusual against Djokovic, given he is widely regarded as the greatest player in the history of the game.

Take Gael Monfils. The 38-year-old French entertainer, a former world number six and one of the most talented shot-makers of his generation, has a 20-0 losing record against Djokovic - the worst head-to-head record in ATP Tour history.

Norrie, a laid-back character off the court, does not seem to become occupied by his poor record.

Instead he is continuing to focus on enjoying life on the tour - a vow he made to his team after reaching a crossroads in his career earlier this year.

Since then he has reached the French Open fourth round - where he lost to Djokovic - and the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

In New York, he has spent time "people watching" at regular dinners in the East Village neighbourhood as he bids for a deep US Open run.

"Focusing on enjoyment is what has worked for me," Norrie added.

"I'm so happy to be with my team, enjoying New York and having a crack one of the best players in history."

Novak Djokovic first beat Gael Monfils at the 2005 US Open