There is no controversy that Novak Djokovic is nearing the end of his career, but it remains to be seen whether another Grand Slam is on the card or not.
In his first match at Wimbledon in 2025, scheduled for next week, Djokovic spoke to reporters on Saturday, admitting that of all the grand slams, Wimbledon represents his best chance to win the increasingly elusive 25th title.
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From the Associated Press:
“Because of the results I felt, I would probably agree that Wimbledon could be the best chance for him to play at Wimbledon,” said Djokovic, who will face Alexandre Muller on Tuesday. “It’s just a motive to mentally push that extra push and get the best tennis player to do the best tennis player.”
Djokovic has not won a grand slam since the 2023 US Open. Six tournaments have been his longest drought since lasting for two years in two years dealing with elbow injuries that required surgery in 2017 and 2018. Djokovic reached one Grand Slam final since the beginning of 2024, losing last year’s Wimbledon Championship match to Carlos Alcaraz.
Certainly, Djokovic has been successful recently. Most notably, the gold medal in the men’s singles at the Parisian Games, but Alcaraz, 22, and Giannik Sinner, 23, have won every grand slam in their range, representing an important obstacle for Selbian, now 38. As years go by, it won’t become easier.
The young pair is the top tow favorite of All England Club’s 2025 title, with BetMgm leading Alcaraz with +115 odds and leading the sinner behind him at +190. Djokovic is third, but at +650.
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Wimbledon has been a friendly event for Djokovic for many years, with his seven titles putting him behind Roger Federer’s eight for the longest time.
Djokovic was not entirely clear as to when he actually retired. He suggested he may have already played his final French open match after losing to a sinner in the semi-finals at Roland Garros earlier this month, but since then he has announced plans to defend his Olympic title at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
He was also sloppy via the AP on Saturday:
“Whether that might be my ‘last dance’,” the 24-time major champion began, and “I don’t know. I don’t know about Roland Garros or the other slams I will perform next, so I repeated the phrase used by the reporter who raised the question.
“My wish is to play for several more years. I want to be physically healthy and motivate myself mentally to continue playing at the highest level,” he said. “That’s the goal. But at this stage we’ll never know.”
Federer retired at the age of 41. Rafael Nadal retired at the age of 38. Djokovic is already as old as the legend of the latter, and should last until 2028 until he is as old as the former. There is little argument that he hasn’t slowed down compared to Prime.
