Novak Djokovic retirement verdict reached by tennis pundits as they all say the same thing
Novak Djokovic has not won a major tennis tournament since 2023 but several pundits believe the Serbian will continue to play on for the time being.
Several of tennis' most knowledgeable pundits believe Novak Djokovic will carry on playing, despite the Serbian icon being knocked out of the US Open by Carlos Alcaraz. The 38-year-old was targeting a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows before Alcaraz abruptly ended his mission in the semi-finals,with the Spaniard then going on to win the tournament. Djokovic won Olympic gold last summer in Paris, which was the only major honour to elude him.
Yet, despite having effectively completed the game by winning every major on multiple occasions, the 25th Grand Slam continues to evade Djokovic as he battles with injury and the emergence of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The seven-time Wimbledon champion has reached the semi-final of all four majors in 2025 but lost to either World No. 1 Sinner or Alcaraz on three occasions. Djokovic suffered a loss to Sinner in the last four at Wimbledon and the French Open, while at the Australian Open, he was forced to retire from his semi-final with Alexander Zverev due to a hamstring injury.
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The Serbian won his 24th Grand Slam title two years ago at the 2023 US Open, but former British star Tim Henman doesn't think he will call it a day just yet. Asked if he expected Djokovic to continue after his straight-sets defeat to Alcaraz, Henman told Sky Sports: "I think he will. I think he will give it one more year at the Australian Open.
"That’s where he’s had his greatest success. So I think he will have one more attempt down there. But maybe he doesn’t even know at this stage."
Speaking on ESPN, the iconic John McEnroe admitted he is unsure about where the Serbian currently stands on his future, but doesn't think he'll retire immediately either.
"I don’t know. It’s all up to him," McEnroe said. "In a way, I wouldn’t be surprised if he stopped. But I would be surprised if he tried to go one more year. That would be my bet.
"He’s been the third-best player in the world this year. That’s what he was. He doesn’t lose much, but he’s always been gracious enough when he does. He always gives the players their due."
Tennis coaching legend Rick Macci, who has worked with Venus and Serena Williams, among many other stars of the game, claims Djokovic loves the sport too much to walk away.
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"I think he’ll keep playing simply because, once again, kind of like Venus [Williams] — but obviously it’s different – he just loves the competition," he said to Tennis365.
"Why would you want to put your body through that, get up every day, he has a family… you’re not doing it for a paycheck! He just loves the competition. And I think if he feels he can win, okay, he’ll continue to play."
He continued: "I think he’ll keep playing because he loves the competition. But, the minute he doesn’t play the Grand Slams, game, set, match — he’ll call it a career. But as long as he still loves it and he feels he has a chance, he’s gonna go for it. And never, ever, ever underestimate the heart of a champion."
Djokovic has remained coy on his future. Speaking after his loss in New York, the four-time US Open winner conceded that his chances of beating Alcaraz and Sinner are rapidly fading, yet he stopped short of waving the white flag.
"It will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the hurdle of Sinner and Alcaraz in best-of-five; I have a better chance in best-of-three," he said.
"I'm not giving up on Grand Slams in that regard. Having said that I'm going to continue fighting and trying to get to the finals, to fight for the trophy, at least, but it's going to be a very difficult task."