Novak Djokovic has shed light on how he would like to retire from professional tennis ahead of another attempt at Wimbledon glory. The Serb may be feeling the pressure to add to his staggering Grand Slam haul this year given that Rafael Nadal, his nearest challenger, is sitting out due to injury.
Djokovic turned professional in 2003, but with Nadal and Roger Federer dominating at the time, it took five years for him to get his hands on Grand Slam silverware. Once the ball was rolling, however, Djokovic proved almost impossible to stop.
Victory at the French Open last month took his tally to 23 Grand Slam titles, putting him one ahead of Nadal at the top of the all-time charts. With Federer now retired and Nadal planning to do so in 2024, talk has turned to when Djokovic may draw a line under his glittering career.
“I don’t know how long I’m going to be playing,” he told the BBC. “What I know is that I still have drive and lots of motivation to keep competing at the highest level.”
The 36-year-old added that he would love to bow out with yet another major win. “My ideal goodbye to tennis would be with a Grand Slam trophy somewhere but I still feel I have juice in the legs,” he explained.
“Andy [Murray] and I are still holding on but I think tennis is in good hands [with the new crop of players]. We’ll try our best to complicate the new generation’s lives a little bit more.”
As the reigning men’s champion, Djokovic will be the first player to grace Centre Court at this year’s tournament when he takes on Argentine world No 68 Pedro Cachin on Monday afternoon.
Ominously for Nadal’s hopes of staying within touching distance in the Grand Slam standings, Djokovic has found himself on a favourable side of the draw, although fans could be treated to a heavyweight showdown if he meets number-one ranked Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
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