Novak Djokovic talks about retirement, addresses shock defeat in Monte Carlo: 'Didn't expect to play this bad'

Novak Djokovic, the Serbian tennis icon and all-time Grand Slam leader, discussed his retirement plans before his opening game of the Monte Carlo Masters. Djokovic spoke candidly about the balance he wants to maintain between his professional and private lives.

Djokovic suffered an unexpected defeat to Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo (6-3, 6-4) in his opening game on Wednesday. His bid to win a 100th career title ended with this defeat for the time being. Before the match, he touched upon his future plans and other aspects of his game.

“I’m trying to have the balancing act as I go along. When I say balancing act, I mean finding a nice equilibrium between professional life and private life—being content with what I’m doing, how I’m doing it, and still being able to motivate myself to keep going, not just in tournaments but also in practice week after week,” Djokovic was quoted as saying by Reuters.

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Djokovic reflects on retirement

Djokovic, who is 37 years old, admitted that motivation doesn’t come as easily as it once did, acknowledging the increased internal dialogue about the future of his career. However, the 24-time Grand Slam winner said he found renewed optimism from his recent performance in the Miami Open.

“There is no doubt it became more difficult than it was throughout my career. When I’m playing that way, obviously it gives me more inspiration to keep going. It just feels great on the court when you’re striking the ball well, when you’re winning matches,” he said.

“There are more inner voices bringing doubts, conversations about whether you should keep going and for how long. So I’m glad that at least in Miami, I’ve found that joy on the court and felt my performance level rise again. Let’s see if I can carry that into the clay season,” he added.

Djokovic after shock defeat

After his early exit from the Monte Carlo Masters, Djokovic expressed surprise at his own performance, admitting that he did not expect to play that poorly.

“I expected myself at least to have put in a decent performance. Not like this, it was horrible. I did not have high expectations. I knew I’m going to have a tough opponent, and I knew I’m going to probably play pretty bad. But this bad, I didn’t expect,” Djokovic said after the match.

“I was hoping it was not going to happen, but it was quite a high probability I’m going to play this way. … A horrible feeling to play this way. Just sorry for all the people that have to witness this,” he added.

Djokovic will turn 38 just before the start of the French Open 2025 in May. He will look to improve his performance in the tournament.