Novak Djokovic played his last match against his great rival Rafael Nadal. The two modern tennis legends faced each other in the final for third and fourth place at the ‘Six Kings Slam‘ in Saudi Arabia, with the Serbian winning the first set. It was just an exhibition that is not counted in the official statistics, but it was a nice way to close one of the most iconic and intense rivalries in tennis history. Their last official match should be at the Paris Olympics this summer, where Nole won in two sets on the court that made Nadal a living legend.
While Rafa is very close to retirement – which will take place next month at the Davis Cup Finals – the Serbian ace is still in good shape even if he has not won a single title this year. The 37-year-old from Belgrade has fulfilled his dream of winning the gold medal at the Olympics, but his level for most of the season was well below his usual standards.
The former world number 1 has failed to win the 25th Grand Slam title, but will try again in 2025 hoping that the body will assist him. Novak had a knee operation in the spring and still uses a protection while playing. After playing in Saudi Arabia, fans and insiders are wondering what Djokovic’s next tournament will be. The 24-time Grand Slam champion appears on the entry list of the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000, where he should defend his title won last year, but his presence is still uncertain.
Will Nole be in Bercy?
In September – during the Davis Cup tie against Greece – the legend from Belgrade had opened up the possibility of closing early this season to focus on 2025. Despite having had a lot of difficulties this year, the Serbian is still motivated to compete at the highest level and wants to shock the world in the coming years.
In a long interview with ‘La Nacion’, Nole opened up on his future plans: “I still feel that I enjoy the process and it generates all these benefits for me, so why not do it? Some people think I should retire from tennis at the top: “You won gold, you won everything, say goodbye.” Some people think I should keep going as long as I still think I can be the favorite for a Grand Slam. I think more like them.”
He also added: “Maybe I will change my mind, I don’t know. For now I feel like I want to keep going. How much longer? Traveling and finding motivation is becoming more difficult for me. It’s not easy. And even less so with children. I don’t want to be away from home for so long, but I still have the drive. So I feel sorry for those who want me to retire, because they will have to see me for a while longer.”
It won’t be easy for Novak – who will turn 38 in 2025 – to keep up with two true champions like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. The Italian ace and the Spanish champion have defeated Nole Djokovic several times in the last year and a half, showing no reverential fear towards him.
The 2019 Wimbledon final
In the same interview, the Serbian ace recalled the famous 2019 Wimbledon final against Roger Federer: “Given the circumstances, it was one of the most important moments I experienced. I was two match points down and if you look at the match statistics, he played better than me. He won more points. I don’t think I ever broke his serve, except for that moment at the end of the fifth set.
It was the first year that the tie-break was used when the fifth set was 12-12. It was incredible. The atmosphere was unique throughout the match. It was on grass, which was certainly his best surface, but I’m not that bad on grass either. People who know me know that I am not always calm on the court, but that time I had to be because it was Federer, it was the final and the stadium was on his side.
I said to myself; ‘Well, if he hits me an ace, he hits me an ace. He’s very good. But if I hit the ball, I’m going to make him play, I’m going to do everything to put him in a position where he has to think that he has to do something special’. I think that’s when he started making mistakes and I hit a very good passing shot on the second match point. And that’s when the match turned around.”