Novak Djokovic made it clear that he was not focused on qualifying for this season’s ATP Finals in Turin and now he appears to have backed up that statement in the most definitive fashion.
The 24-time Grand Slam-winning legend is the defending champion at the ATP Finals, after his clinical win against Jannik Sinner in last year’s final.
Yet there are now big doubts over whether Djokovic will be back in Turin to defend his title after reports in Serbia suggested he will not play in the final ATP 1000 Masters event of the season in Paris.
Djokovic is currently sitting at No 6 in the ATP Race for 2024, with the top eight in that list securing a place in the lucrative ATP Finals that will wrap up the regular tour season.
By not playing in Paris, he has opened the door for rivals to overhaul him in the ATP Race list, yet Djokovic made it clear after he played for Serbia in the Davis Cup last month that he is not striving to qualify for another appearance in Turin.
“Torino is not my goal at all, to be honest, I am not chasing ATP Finals, I am not chasing the rankings,” he said.
“As far as I am concerned, I am done with those tournaments for my career. Whether I will play in other tournaments this year or in the future, I can’t say right now.
“My main priorities are playing for the national team and Slams, everything else is less important.”
Djokovic appeared to soften his stance on his bid to qualify for the ATP Finals when he travelled to Shanghai and turned in some of his best performances of the season to reach the final, where he lost to world No 1 Sinner.
His move to make the long trip to Asia suggested the Serbian great was keen to book his place in the ATP Finals, but his withdrawal from the Paris Masters could end his hopes of qualifying for Turin.
Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev and Alex de Minaur are just behind Djokovic in the ATP Race standings and they could all overtake him over the next few weeks as the trio are playing in ATP 500 tournaments this week before chasing the big ranking points in Paris.
If all three fail to get enough points to jump ahead of Djokovic in the Race standings and the Serb qualifies for the event, he will have another decision to make over whether he will compete in the ATP Finals.
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Yet reports in Serbia suggest Djokovic may well stay away from the court until the start of 2025, when the 37-year-old will try and win an 11th Australian Open title in Melbourne.
The retirement question has been thrown Djokovic’s way time and again in recent years, especially since Roger Federer retired in 2022 and his greatest rival Rafael Nadal confirmed he will hang up his racket after next month’s Davis Cup Finals.
Djokovic insists he wants to stay in tennis for now, but admits that stance could change quickly.
“Deep down, I still feel like I have a few more Grand Slams to win,” he told La Nacion. “That’s what drives me to keep going, to feel like I can still do it, and to play the Davis Cup for Serbia.
“Tennis is still my biggest voice for sharing the messages that interest me the most. I still enjoy the process and everything it gives me.
“Maybe some people think I should retire with the Olympic gold, on a high. Others, on the contrary, think I should keep going as long as I’m a candidate for the Grand Slams. I’m leaning towards the latter. Maybe I’ll change my mind soon, but now I feel like I want to keep going.
“I feel sorry for those who want me to retire, but I still have some time left.”
This decision not to play in Paris could bring an end to Djokovic’s season, with the big goal he wanted to achieve this year ticked off after he won an Olympic gold medal for Serbia at the Paris Games.