Novak Djokovic is going through a dangerous moment.
His shots lack sting, he’s slow, and he’s struggling to finish points. It’s as if he’s playing one gear lower than the rest of today’s top players. Sinner, Alcaraz, Zverev… the younger guys hit the ball much harder and are in far better physical shape. Can he still win his 25th Grand Slam? If he can’t win best-of-three, it’s hard to see how his chances improve in best-of-five.
The Serbian can still answer with his intelligence, his class, and his angled shots, but winning points has become a huge effort. His tennis has lost its bite.
Djokovic is a great loser. I’ve seen few players handle defeat with such grace: even when he loses to someone far below his level, he greets them with a smile and a handshake. But inside, for a champion, for a warrior like him, these early-round losses can’t sit well. I don’t think he’ll keep playing much longer if this continues.
Aside from the significant achievement in Paris 2024 Olympics, the former world number one hasn’t won anything in the last year and a half.
Yes, he made finals in Wimbledon, Shanghai, and Miami—spectacular milestones for most players. But Djokovic is Djokovic, and for him, finals don’t count.
Does he need to retire? With the Olympic gold, Djokovic completed tennis. There’s nothing left for him to win. He holds almost all the records, and his numbers are overwhelming. The greatest of all time will know when it’s time to step away, and no one has the right to decide that for him.
Perhaps, paradoxically, that golden medal marked the beginning of the end, because it might have taken away his motivation; you can tell when Djokovic is playing with little desire, and lately, he’s been showing that repeatedly.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
In 50 years of following tennis, I’ve seen great players retire. The first, and the one that hurt the most, was Guillermo Vilas. When others like Connors, Borg, or McEnroe retired, they left a noticeable void.
Sampras left in silence, without warning anyone, after beating Agassi in the 2002 US Open final; Gabriela Sabatini retired very young, at 26, but at a moment when her game had already lost direction. When I heard she would retire, I felt a sense of relief.
Djokovic is already nearing the end of his career. At nearly 38 years old, he’s an example of an athlete: he revolutionized his diet and took care of every inch of his body to achieve all his successes. The guy seems made of rubber, gliding effortlessly on any surface.
His future is uncertain, but like the great champion he is, he will know when it’s time to leave tennis. He is the master of his own destiny. While time doesn’t forgive, the final decision will always be his.
