Djokovic Dismisses Retirement Talk, Aims for Longevity in Tennis
24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic has made it clear that he has no plans to retire anytime soon. The Serbian tennis star, inspired by the long careers of icons like LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Tom Brady, wants to keep playing well into his 40s.
Currently competing in the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Djokovic shared that extending his career is a significant motivation for him. He expressed a strong curiosity about how much he can push his limits.
“Lifestyle longevity is a huge driver for me. I really want to discover how far I can go. Take a look at other sports—LeBron is still going strong at 40, and we’ve seen Tom Brady play into his 40s. It’s incredible,” Djokovic remarked during the Riyadh Season.
Djokovic, a former World No. 1, has faced some ups and downs lately; he hasn’t won a major title since the 2023 US Open. However, he is determined to stay engaged in the evolution of tennis over the next few years. He added, “I want to be part of transforming tennis as we rejuvenate the sport for the future.”
This year, Djokovic has reached the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams but hasn’t managed to secure a victory. He recently played at the Shanghai Masters, where he was knocked out by Valentin Vacherot, who then won the title by defeating Arthur Rinderknech in the final.
In addition to his competitive struggles, Djokovic has also been dealing with injury concerns for the past year and a half. After losing his World No. 1 ranking to Jannik Sinner at the previous year’s French Open, he has fallen out of the top five rankings after an impressive 825 weeks at that level.
As he navigates a challenging season filled with early exits, many are curious about how he will regroup in the upcoming year.
Published by: Sabyasachi Chowdhury
Published on: Oct 17, 2025
