Novak Djokovic’s season has been quite strange until now. From the point of view of results, the Serbian legend showed signs of a sharp decline compared to its usual standards. If we think that in 2023 Novak had won three Grand Slam titles, then it is difficult not to consider this year as a failure.

For the first time since 2017 – when she suffered a serious elbow injury – and for the second time since 2011, Nole has not won a single Major in an entire season. The former world number 1 reached the final at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, but had to surrender to a stunning Carlos Alcaraz for the second year in a row.

The 37-year-old from Belgrade has suffered many surprising defeats and seemed very unmotivated in the second-tier events. However, the 24-time Grand Slam champion has made his dream come true by winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics during the summer.

Djokovic showed his best version in the most important event of his schedule, playing an incredible final against Carlitos Alcaraz on the iconic Philippe Chatrier. After being eliminated in the third round at the US Open, the Serbian admitted that he needed to regain his energy and not have a long-term plan.

Nole is very relaxed

Djokovic’s next official tournament will be the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, before heading to Saudi Arabia for the ‘Six Kings Slam‘ in mid-October (with Nadal, Sinner, Alcaraz, Medvedev and Rune). Meanwhile, Nole played an exhibition match with Grigor Dimitrov in Sofia. After the match, the 24-time Grand Slam champion and Grisha were spotted singing and dancing in a night club.

Speaking with the press yesterday, the Serbian ace opened up on his future: “For the first time in my career, I have no long-term plans. I’m living in the moment; we’ll see what happens in the future. Today I will play in Sofia against Grigor, then I will go to China, and afterward, I have an exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia. After that? I don’t know, honestly. We’ll see how I feel and then I’ll make a decision. I want to be with my wife and kids, be part of their daily life, something I haven’t been able to do for many years.”

The former world number 1 will return to China after a long time, probably also under pressure from his sponsors. The Nitto ATP Finals are no longer a goal for Novak, who will probably not defend his title won in Turin last year. “Torino is not my goal at all, to be honest, I am not chasing ATP Finals, I am not chasing the rankings etc. As far as I am concerned, I am done with those tournaments for my career. Whether I will play other tournaments this year or in the future, I can’t say right now” – Djokovic explained.

“My main priorities are playing for the national team and Slams, everything else is less important. Usually in my career I used to have my schedule ready six months in advance, but nowadays that’s not the case, now it’s more spontaneous. Firstly, I need to physically, emotionally and mentally rest in order to even start thinking what I want to do next, in what way, how much and where.

I thought that I would never have to seek motivation anywhere, it all used to come naturally – automatically – but that has not been the case in the last few years. In order to prolong my career, I need to enjoy, I need to choose wisely tournaments I am going to play” – he added.

A different approach

The defeats suffered this year against Luca Nardi in Indian Wells and against Alejandro Tabilo in Rome had been clear indications of Novak’s poor motivation in the second-tier events. The current World No.4 holds almost all records in men’s tennis and needs to be 100% physically and mentally to write more pages of history.

In a recent interview with Sport Klub, former ATP ace James Blake commented on Nole’s current status: “It’s all up to Novak. Physically, he is still in good shape. The only question now is whether he wants to. He did everything and won everything in this sport. He always has that energy when he wakes up. Does he still want to sacrifice everything to continue being the best? He has been doing this for almost 20 years. He’s a great tennis player, even at 37. The question is not whether he can do it, but whether he wants to. If he wants to, he will be a candidate for the Grand Slam titles at 40.”