Novak Djokovic has warned his rivals that he isn’t going anywhere as he discussed his eventual retirement. The world No 1 is returning to competition at this week’s Rolex Paris Masters. After taking a few weeks away from tennis, Djokovic shared his plans to stick around until he couldn’t beat his young competitors or win Majors anymore.
Djokovic is back in action in Paris-Bercy, where he is the top seed. It will be his first time on a match court in more than six weeks after he won a historic 24th Grand Slam title at the US Open and went straight to the Davis Cup to represent Serbia.
The world No 1 skipped the Asian swing following his triumph in New York, leaving his younger rivals to battle it out between themselves for trophies. But Djokovic has made it clear that he won’t be going anywhere for a while, meaning the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will still be forced to compete with him for the biggest titles.
“I’m of course very grateful to be in a position where I am right now in the moment in history of our sport and of my own career,” the top seed said in Paris. “I still feel young in my own body. It’s serving me well. I won three out of four Slams.”
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While some players liked the idea of retiring on top, Djokovic said he would be hanging around until he couldn’t win anymore. He continued: “You know, there is obviously differences with different tennis players in the past that, you know, some of them think that it’s best to leave tennis when you’re at the top.
“Some of them think when you figure out you can’t win the biggest tournaments anymore and that you’re losing to the young guys, then you leave it. I’m more in the second group. As long as I’m, you know, main contender for the Grand Slams and still, you know, win the biggest tournaments in sport, I will not leave. I mean, unless mentally something happens and I really have no motivation anymore, but that’s not the case for now.”
Djokovic’s comments will come as bad news for the rest of the tour, with few players able to topple the 36-year-old at the Grand Slams. And he is still as hungry as ever despite holding the most Major titles in the Open Era and the most all-time weeks at No 1.
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“Of course my greatest motivation is still love for the game. I really like competing. So as simple as that,” he explained. “Then, you know, I always have goals, you know, and to win another Slam, to be No 1 again, to finish the year as No 1.”
For now, Djokovic’s immediate focus will be on Paris, where he can break his own record as the most decorated man in the tournament’s history. The Serb already has the most titles with six and will be looking to add to his trophy haul. He was also the oldest champion in Rolex Paris Masters history back in 2021 and can surpass himself by lifting the title again on Sunday.
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