Novak Djokovic would have backed himself to seal his place in the ATP Finals with a deep run at the US Open, but the defending champion may now miss the prestigious end-of-season tournament in Turin.

After Taylor Fritz finally ended his quarter-final hoodoo in Grand Slams by reaching the last four of the US Open, Djokovic’s hopes of qualifying for the lucrative ATP Finals took a hammer blow.

Fritz beat Alexander Zverev 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) in a thrilling battle, as he admitted his agony in previous Grand Slam quarter-finals made his joy at finally breaking through all the more exhilarating.

“I feel amazing, I have had a lot of looks at quarter-finals over the last few years and today just felt different,” he said.

“I really felt like it was my time to go a step further. It’s only fitting I’m doing it here on this court at the Open in front of this crowd.”

The win against Zverev put Fritz in pole position to finish the US Open as America’s No 1 player, but it also added to Djokovic’s challenge as he looks to play in another ATP Finals.

Djokovic has won the show-stopper occasion toward the finish of the ATP Visit season on a record-breaking seven events and was in prevailing structure as e finished off 2023 with one more win in the ATP Finals.

The best eight players in the ATP Race rankings fit the bill for the ATP Finals, with Djokovic the main player to meet all requirements for the occasion on various events during his predominant profession.

However he is down in 10th spot in the current year’s ATP Race, which ascertains the positioning focuses from the schedule year.

Fritz is presently dependent upon No 7 in the Rush to Turin, with Australia’s Alex de Minaur likewise in front of Djokovic in the ongoing rankings after his solid run at the US Open.

Jannik Miscreant, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev are sure to fit the bill for the ATP Finals, with Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev likewise in front of Djokovic.

The Serbian is presently sitting at No 9 in the ATP Race list and keeping in mind that he would be very much positioned to get his place in Turin assuming that he was playing a full timetable, his absence of want to play lower-level competitions could end his expectations of shielding his ATP Finals title.

Djokovic has been entered into the Shanghai Masters next month, but it’s unclear whether he will make the decision to fly to China to take part in that part of the ATP Tour season for the first time since 2019.

He is also due to play in the Paris Masters, where 1,000 ATP ranking points will be up for grabs, but he may need to win that tournament to have a chance to reach the ATP Finals unless he enters a few more tournaments.

Djokovic has openly admitted he has struggled to find motivation to play in events other than Grand Slams at this stage of his career, but he may need to do that if he is to keep his hopes of appearing at the ATP Finals alive.

In the opinion of super coach Patrick Mouratoglou, Djokovic’s dwindling motivation will be a big factor in what comes next in his career, as he suggests his Olympic gold medal may be one of his last great achievements.

“He showed at the start of the season that he was human,” Mouratoglou told Tennis365 ahead of the UTS Grand Final in London in December.

“I felt that he had a real motivation issue at the start of the season, especially when he saw that Rafa was struggling so much and might not be coming back.

“At the start of this season, it was almost as if Novak felt like the game was over because Rafa was struggling so much and it looked like it would be very difficult for him to come back to the top.

“I think this 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed his motivation a little. One of the big motivations of his career was to have more Grand Slams than the two others and he has done that now.

“Then the Olympics come along and this prize that he has never lifted was there for him and his motivation came back. In such a short period of time, he was able to play at his best again.

“For him, it is all going to be about finding the motivation from this point forward. The tennis is there, he is there physically, but it is all about how much he wants to continue.”

If Djokovic opts against playing in Shanghai, he will face an uphill battle to qualify for the ATP Finals and at that point, he might even decide to call time on his 2024 season and prepare for a fresh push next year.