‘It’s closer than ever’ — Novak Djokovic admits tennis retirement ‘thoughts’ are growing
Novak Djokovic insists he pays little attention to speculation about his tennis future, although he has admitted that retirement from the sport is “closer than ever”.
The 39-year-old won his first title of the calendar year at the China Open earlier this month, claiming the 102nd title of his illustrious career. Although he has not won a Grand Slam since the 2023 US Open, Djokovic has remained competitive, finishing runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open and reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon, where he lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic remains ranked 12th in the world and will be looking to add another title to his trophy cabinet when he competes at the Swiss Indoors ATP 500 event in Basel this week.
READ NEXT: Aryna Sabalenka beats Carlos Alcaraz to little-known award as she joins exclusive club
Novak Djokovic retirement ‘thoughts’ growing
Djokovic has faced criticism in recent years, with some suggesting he should retire while he remains near the top of his game rather than risk tarnishing an extraordinary legacy.
Advert
It is a difficult balancing act for the Serbian, who still believes he can compete at the highest level and would love to bow out with another Grand Slam title to his name.
Asked whether it angered him when people suggested he should retire, Djokovic told Serbian outlet Sportal: “Oh well, everything is there. As long as there are people, there will be speculation.
“It’s in people’s nature, and it’s not only here, but everywhere. People like to criticise, to judge, with insufficient information, but that’s not something I’m used to. I don’t pay attention.
“I’m not angry about that, I’m angry about some other things. Some much bigger things make me angry.”
Novak Djokovic retirement ‘closer than ever’
Djokovic’s future was explored in a recent documentary, Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter, which was released in late August. Before its release, the Serbian discussed the prospect of retirement and referenced comments made by Andre Agassi that featured in the documentary.
“Honestly, it’s amazing for me to hear the all-time greats, and how they were approaching this process of, kind of, letting go,” he told Fanatics Fest in New York.
“I’m still feeling I can compete at the highest level, and the results are there. I can still stay a little bit active here and there, but yeah, the moment is approaching. There’s no question it’s closer than ever.
“Andre Agassi is one of the all-time greats, of course. He was part of my documentary, and he said: ‘I don’t know when the end is coming for Novak, but I’m sure as hell that, when it comes, it comes fast.’
“I think he’s right. Of course, I would lie if [I said] I don’t have those thoughts. I do have them. And I don’t know if there’s a perfect way [to retire].
“There’s a category of athletes that want to leave on top, there’s a category of athletes that want to leave because their body is not listening to them, and there’s a category of athletes that just get beaten by others and they see they can’t go on. Or, it’s all of it.
“So I’m still just trying to enjoy myself competing. I’m there, and we’ll have this conversation later.”
READ NEXT: Gael Monfils makes heartbreaking admission after splitting up from Elina Svitolina
Topics: Novak Djokovic, Tennis
Rich Fay