At age 38, Novak Djokovic faces retirement rumors in nearly every tournament he appears at. His longtime rival and friend Rafael Nadal retired from tennis at age 38 in 2024. Could that decision be on the horizon for the 24-time major champion, too?
According to Djokovic himself, he thinks he could play for at least a couple more years. Phew, tennis fans can exhale for now.
Djokovic didn’t necessarily comment on his retirement plan when speaking to media after his second round Australian Open win on Thursday. But, he discussed the prospect of his fellow “elder” tennis opponents Gael Monfils (39) and Stan Wawrinka (40) both playing in their last Australian Open before retirement. Just because they are retiring from the sport, doesn’t mean he’s ready to yet.
“Monfils is one year older than me, Wawrinka two,” Djokovic told ESPN Tenis, via translation. “So I think I have two more years left to play—at least.”
This Australian Open is Djokovic’s 81st major he’s competed in, which ties Federer’s all-time record. If Djokovic plays in May’s French Open, he’ll break the record and once again etch his name in the history books above Federer.
As long as Djokovic remains healthy and continues dominating on the tennis court (he made all four major semifinals last year), there’s no telling how long he’ll keep playing professional tennis. He is still chasing the elusive 25th major title, which would make him the all-time record holder for grand slam titles in tennis history (he’s currently tied with Margaret Court, who achieved her feat before the Open Era).
If anything, it doesn’t sound like this Australian Open is Djokovic’s last, unlike Monfils and Wawrinka.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Novak Djokovic Seemingly Predicts How Long He Expects to Play Tennis.
