Novak Djokovic had some bad news for those calling on him to retire as the 37-year-old believes he can still add to his Grand Slam success.
After winning three Majors last year, the Serbian tennis giant became the all-time Slam leader with his 24 victories. But this year, it was one of the Serb’s poorest Grand Slam years in a while as for the first time since 2017 he concluded a year without landing a Major.
However, Djokovic still won the Slam race after Rafael Nadal confirmed that he would retire next month with 22 Majors.
“Deep down, I still feel like I have a few more Grand Slams to win. That’s what drives me to compete, to feel like I can still do it, and to play the Davis Cup for Serbia. I love playing for Serbia. Tennis is still my biggest platform for sharing the messages that I care about, whether it’s related to tennis, society or business. I still feel that I enjoy the process and it brings me all these benefits, so why not?” the 37-year-old told La Nacion.
Djokovic on some claiming he should go out ‘on a high’
This year, the former world No. 1 was crushed by Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semifinal – reached the French Open quarterfinal but retired injured – got dismantled by Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final – and shockingly lost to Alexei Popyrin in the US Open third round.
But Djokovic accomplished something this year for the first time in his career – he became an Olympic gold medalist.
And since he has completed his resume and Sinner and Alcaraz appear to be ahead of right now, some think the Serb should risk nothing and walk away from pro tennis while he is still regarded as a top player.
“Some people think I should leave tennis on a high: ‘You won gold, you won everything, say goodbye.’ Some people think I should keep going as long as I still think I can be the favorite for a Grand Slam. I think more like them. Maybe I will change my mind. I don’t know. For now, I feel like I want to keep going,” Djokovic said.