Former tennis world number one Novak Djokovic says the expansion of most ATP Masters 1000 events to 12 days makes them "just way too long for me" as he focuses on his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam title.&nbsp;"To be quite frank with you, I don't enjoy the two-week Masters events anymore," Djokovic said Friday as he spoke to reporters before the Sunday start of the US Open -- the last Grand Slam of 2025.&nbsp;"It's just way too long for me. My focus is mostly on the Slams, and I have said that before.&nbsp;"But I also like other tournaments. I'd like to play more of the other tournaments, but I just, we have currently informally, unofficially, 12 Grand Slams a year when you think about it.&nbsp;"Grand Slam is two weeks and the other Masters events are almost two weeks, as well."At 38, the former world number one says his priorities have changed in the latter stages of his career.&nbsp;"I'm not chasing the rankings or building up my points or defending, et cetera," Djokovic said. "I just don't think about it anymore.&nbsp;"For me, it's really about where do I find motivation and joy? Where will I be inspired to play the best tennis? And where do I care to be, really, and play?"&nbsp;With family now at the forefront of his life, Djokovic said, he is less willing to miss out on major personal milestones.&nbsp;He noted that his daughter's birthday falls on September 2, when he could find himself playing in the US Open quarter-finals.&nbsp;"But those are types of things that I really don't want to be missing anymore," he said.&nbsp;ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-asia-cup-2025-full-squads-complete-fixtures-date-time-venue-and-live-streaming-details-check-all-details-1755585771834">Asia Cup 2025: All you need to know - full squads, complete fixtures, date, time, venue and other key details</a><h2>Throwing the first pitch</h2>Djokovic, long an advocate for player input in matters such as scheduling and player compensation, said he does not see how the Masters 1000s -- which shifted this year from one-week to 12-days -- could go back to the previous format.&nbsp;Canada and Cincinnati in the run-up to the US Open became 12-day events this year."In the end of the day, when the players needed to be active and when there was a time of negotiations and decision-making, players weren't participating enough," he said.&nbsp;ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-asia-cup-2025-india-s-probable-playing-xi-shubman-gill-to-open-sanju-samson-at-no-3-tilak-varma-to-miss-out-1755663441686">Asia Cup 2025, India's Probable Playing XI: Shubman Gill to open, Sanju Samson at No.3; Tilak Varma to miss out</a>&nbsp;Djokovic himself has not played since a comprehensive semi-final loss to currently world number one Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon in July.&nbsp;He acknowledged that he is coming in "cold" in terms of match play, but said he had been training hard as he eyes a return to the later stages of the US Open.&nbsp;A four-time winner in Flushing Meadows, Djokovic suffered his earliest Grand Slam exit since 2017 when he lost to Australia's Alexei Popyrin in the third round of last year's tournament.&nbsp;ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-rohit-sharma-to-virat-kohli-here-is-a-look-at-five-indian-batters-with-most-runs-in-asia-cup-odis-t20is-sachin-tendulkar-ms-dhoni-dhawan-1754123070628">From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is)</a>&nbsp;But this week Djokovic has taken some time to explore New York as well, notably throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at a New York Yankees baseball game.&nbsp;"It was a great experience," said Djokovic, adding that he met Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.&nbsp;He also thought he acquitted himself well with his pitch.&nbsp;"I didn't throw that accurate, but it still wasn't as embarrassing I think as some of the other guys I saw in the past."&nbsp;Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Novak Djokovic, long an advocate for player input in matters such as scheduling and player compensation, said he does not see how the Masters 1000s -- which shifted this year from one-week to 12-days -- could go back to the previous format.

Former tennis world number one Novak Djokovic says the expansion of most ATP Masters 1000 events to 12 days makes them "just way too long for me" as he focuses on his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam title. "To be quite frank with you, I don't enjoy the two-week Masters events anymore," Djokovic said Friday as he spoke to reporters before the Sunday start of the US Open -- the last Grand Slam of 2025. "It's just way too long for me. My focus is mostly on the Slams, and I have said that before. "But I also like other tournaments. I'd like to play more of the other tournaments, but I just, we have currently informally, unofficially, 12 Grand Slams a year when you think about it. "Grand Slam is two weeks and the other Masters events are almost two weeks, as well." At 38, the former world number one says his priorities have changed in the latter stages of his career. "I'm not chasing the rankings or building up my points or defending, et cetera," Djokovic said. "I just don't think about it anymore. "For me, it's really about where do I find motivation and joy? Where will I be inspired to play the best tennis? And where do I care to be, really, and play?" With family now at the forefront of his life, Djokovic said, he is less willing to miss out on major personal milestones. He noted that his daughter's birthday falls on September 2, when he could find himself playing in the US Open quarter-finals. "But those are types of things that I really don't want to be missing anymore," he said. ALSO READ | Asia Cup 2025: All you need to know - full squads, complete fixtures, date, time, venue and other key details Throwing the first pitch Djokovic, long an advocate for player input in matters such as scheduling and player compensation, said he does not see how the Masters 1000s -- which shifted this year from one-week to 12-days -- could go back to the previous format. Canada and Cincinnati in the run-up to the US Open became 12-day events this year. "In the end of the day, when the players needed to be active and when there was a time of negotiations and decision-making, players weren't participating enough," he said. ALSO READ | Asia Cup 2025, India's Probable Playing XI: Shubman Gill to open, Sanju Samson at No.3; Tilak Varma to miss out Djokovic himself has not played since a comprehensive semi-final loss to currently world number one Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon in July. He acknowledged that he is coming in "cold" in terms of match play, but said he had been training hard as he eyes a return to the later stages of the US Open. A four-time winner in Flushing Meadows, Djokovic suffered his earliest Grand Slam exit since 2017 when he lost to Australia's Alexei Popyrin in the third round of last year's tournament. ALSO READ | From Rohit Sharma to Virat Kohli, 5 Indian batters with most runs in Asia Cup (ODIs + T20Is) But this week Djokovic has taken some time to explore New York as well, notably throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at a New York Yankees baseball game. "It was a great experience," said Djokovic, adding that he met Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. He also thought he acquitted himself well with his pitch. "I didn't throw that accurate, but it still wasn't as embarrassing I think as some of the other guys I saw in the past." Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Novak Djokovic, long an advocate for player input in matters such as scheduling and player compensation, said he does not see how the Masters 1000s -- which shifted this year from one-week to 12-days -- could go back to the previous format.

Novak Djokovic narrows focus in pursuit of 25th Grand Slam ahead of US Open 2025

US Open 2025 is in headlines and no, it's not related to any scandal, controversy or a star player pulling out from the tournament. For the first time in history, the US Open will will be writing biggest-ever checks to the players competing in the tournament. This time around, the total amount of the purse is $90 million, the largest purse in history of the sport. It is a jump of nearly 20% as compared to last season when the purse amounted to $75 million.&nbsp;The whopping increase in the purse money comes after the top 20 men's and women's players wrote a letter to the four Grand Slams requesting for bigger share of the income generated by the major tournaments. "The US Open has made a deliberate and concerted effort to ensure double-digit percentage increases from 2024 in all rounds of all events for all players, while at the same time significantly increasing the percentage of prize money for athletes playing deep into the singles draws," said a statement from the organisers of the tournament.<h2>Now, let's see who will get how much?&nbsp;</h2>Both the men’s and women’s singles champions will take home $5 million each, up from $3.6 million in 2024. Jannik Sinner will aim to defend his title in the men's singles category, while Aryna Sabalenka will look to extend her winning run in the women's singles category. This cash-rich slam is not just the richest US Open ever, but also the most rewarding slam in history. Here's a breakdown of the singles prize money set by each Grand Slam for the 2025 season.&nbsp;Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tennis-what-is-a-calendar-golden-slam-in-tennis-meet-steffi-graff-to-achieve-it-1751813513490">What is a Calendar Golden Slam in Tennis? Meet the only player to achieve it</a>&nbsp;<ol><li>US Open: $90 million total | $5 million to singles winners</li><li>Wimbledon: $73 million total | $4.12 million to singles winners</li><li>French Open: $65.66 million total | $2.97 million to singles winners</li><li>Australian Open: $62.77 million total | $2.26 million to singles winners</li></ol>In addition to the winners’ payouts, prize money across all rounds — including qualifiers is going up. Organisers of the tournament said that this is part of their continued push to support players who are ousted in early rounds, not just the big names at the top.&nbsp;US Open 2025 will also run for 15 days instead of 14, and attendance is expected to hit record numbers again after crossing one million fans in 2024. With players like Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic all chasing history, the stakes and awards will be higher at Flushing Meadows. Now, let's break down the entire prize money.<h2>Men's/ Women's Singles</h2>

<figure class="table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Winner</td><td>$5,000,000</td></tr><tr><td>Runner-Up</td><td>$2,500,000</td></tr><tr><td>Semifinalists</td><td>$1,260,000</td></tr><tr><td>Quarterfinalists</td><td>$660,000</td></tr><tr><td>Round of 16</td><td>$400,000</td></tr><tr><td>Round of 32</td><td>$237,000</td></tr><tr><td>Round of 64</td><td>$154,000</td></tr><tr><td>Round of 128</td><td>$110,000</td></tr><tr><td>Total (Singles)</td><td>$31,620,000</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>

<figure class="table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Round</td><td>Prize Money</td></tr><tr><td>Winner</td><td>$1,000,000</td></tr><tr><td>Runner-Up</td><td>$500,000</td></tr><tr><td>Semifinalists</td><td>$250,000</td></tr><tr><td>Quarterfinalists</td><td>$125,000</td></tr><tr><td>Third Round</td><td>$75,000</td></tr><tr><td>Second Round</td><td>$45,000</td></tr><tr><td>First Round</td><td>$30,000</td></tr><tr><td>Total (Doubles)</td><td>$4,780,000</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>

<figure class="table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Round</td><td>Prize Money</td></tr><tr><td>Winner</td><td>$1,000,000</td></tr><tr><td>Runner-Up</td><td>$400,000</td></tr><tr><td>Semifinalists</td><td>$200,000</td></tr><tr><td>Quarterfinalists</td><td>$100,000</td></tr><tr><td>Round of 16</td><td>$20,000</td></tr><tr><td>Total (Mixed Doubles)</td><td>$2,360,000</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>

<figure class="table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Category</td><td>Prize Money</td></tr><tr><td>Wheelchair Events Total</td><td>$1,600,000</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>

<figure class="table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Category</td><td>Prize Money</td></tr><tr><td>Total Player Compensation</td><td>$90,000,000</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>

The US Open kicks off on Sunday, (Aug 24), in New York. In the singles category, both Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner will aim to defend their titles.

US Open 2025 is in headlines and no, it's not related to any scandal, controversy or a star player pulling out from the tournament. For the first time in history, the US Open will will be writing biggest-ever checks to the players competing in the tournament. This time around, the total amount of the purse is $90 million, the largest purse in history of the sport. It is a jump of nearly 20% as compared to last season when the purse amounted to $75 million. The whopping increase in the purse money comes after the top 20 men's and women's players wrote a letter to the four Grand Slams requesting for bigger share of the income generated by the major tournaments. "The US Open has made a deliberate and concerted effort to ensure double-digit percentage increases from 2024 in all rounds of all events for all players, while at the same time significantly increasing the percentage of prize money for athletes playing deep into the singles draws," said a statement from the organisers of the tournament. Now, let's see who will get how much? Both the men’s and women’s singles champions will take home $5 million each, up from $3.6 million in 2024. Jannik Sinner will aim to defend his title in the men's singles category, while Aryna Sabalenka will look to extend her winning run in the women's singles category. This cash-rich slam is not just the richest US Open ever, but also the most rewarding slam in history. Here's a breakdown of the singles prize money set by each Grand Slam for the 2025 season. Also read | What is a Calendar Golden Slam in Tennis? Meet the only player to achieve it US Open: $90 million total | $5 million to singles winners Wimbledon: $73 million total | $4.12 million to singles winners French Open: $65.66 million total | $2.97 million to singles winners Australian Open: $62.77 million total | $2.26 million to singles winners In addition to the winners’ payouts, prize money across all rounds — including qualifiers is going up. Organisers of the tournament said that this is part of their continued push to support players who are ousted in early rounds, not just the big names at the top. US Open 2025 will also run for 15 days instead of 14, and attendance is expected to hit record numbers again after crossing one million fans in 2024. With players like Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic all chasing history, the stakes and awards will be higher at Flushing Meadows. Now, let's break down the entire prize money. Men's/ Women's Singles

The US Open kicks off on Sunday, (Aug 24), in New York. In the singles category, both Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner will aim to defend their titles.

US Open 2025 to feature highest prize pool in tennis history — check out full breakdown by category

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Novak Djokovic narrows focus in pursuit of 25th Grand Slam ahead of US Open 2025

US Open 2025 to feature highest prize pool in tennis history