 "Novak Djokovic recently lifted his 101st career title at Athens Open. Image: Reuters")
Novak Djokovic has spoken about his plans for retirement, saying he wants to finish his career at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. However, the Serbian legend also admitted that his body might not allow him to continue that long. Djokovic won his first Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Games.
Djokovic said that achieving his 2028 Olympic dream was one of the last major goals of his career. However, the 24-time Grand Slam champion has struggled for motivation this season and even pulled out of the ATP Finals in Turin due to injury, only a day before the tournament began.
Djokovic unsure if he can continue until 2028
After winning the ATP 250 event in Athens by defeating Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, Djokovic shared his thoughts about how much longer he wants to play or can play. The former world No. 1 expressed his desire to play until the next Olympic Games, but admitted that he might not be fit to continue for that long.
“Since I’ve achieved absolutely all possible goals, I said about the 2028 Olympics because I wanted to play for so many more years. So maybe ending up at the Olympic Games with the Serbian flag, that would be nice,” the 38-year-old said.
“I don’t know, I mean, I really don’t know, because there are some things that are not entirely in my control. I’m trying to be as healthy as possible mentally and physically,” he added.
Despite the age factor, Djokovic is still one of the best players on the circuit. He reached the semifinal of all four majors this year, but failed to win the elusive 25th Grand Slam title. Three of those four exits came against Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz, the current world No. 1 and No. 2 players.
Djokovic has been chasing one more title to surpass Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam singles titles in history. However, he is being held back by constant physical problems and injuries. After skipping the ATP Finals this year, Djokovic will be aiming to start afresh next season at his favourite hunting ground - the Australian Open in January.