“Ending at the Olympics would be nice”: Novak Djokovic hints at 2028 farewell plan

Novak Djokovic is already planning his retirement date, with a clear goal that would extend his career past the age of 40. The 24-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged in a press conference from the Hellenic Championship that he hopes to play for a few more seasons.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion is coming off a special weekend in Athens, his new city of residence, where he won the 101st title of his career. The Serb recently moved to Greece a few months ago, and along with that, the family-owned Belgrade Open was moved to the same city for the tournament's first edition, held at the same venue as the 2004 Olympics, the OAKA Basketball Arena.

Djokovic attended the event and, with extensive public support, ended up taking the title in the final against Lorenzo Musetti, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. The former No. 1 had started the week with a revitalizing victory against Alejandro Tabilo—against whom he had an 0-2 record—before smoothly defeating Nuno Borges and Yannik Hanfmann to reach the final without dropping a set.

Nole ultimately secured the title and positioned himself at World No. 4, just behind Sinner, Alcaraz, and Zverev. A few hours later, Djokovic surprised everyone by announcing that he would not be at the ATP Finals—a spot that will finally be occupied by Lorenzo Musetti, 9th in the Race and the tournament's first alternate.

The Serb answered questions from the press in Athens, where one of the topics he touched on was the end of his career. The 38-year-old has sought to remain competitive, fighting for more Grand Slam titles, but has fallen one step behind the Sinner/Alcaraz dominance.

Although there has been previous speculation about his retirement, the Serb has mentioned several times that he hopes to compete in the upcoming 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, for which he hopes to arrive competitively to defend the gold medal. "I’ve always had this throughout my life and my career, I’ve always had a schedule in my head for a year or more, what I want, how I want it."

"Since I’ve achieved absolutely all possible goals, I said about the 2028 Olympics because I wanted to play for so many more years," he stated. "So maybe ending up at the Olympic Games with the Serbian flag, that would be nice."

The Serb also left some doubts about his plans, acknowledging that it will depend on the physical condition he is in at that point. "I don’t know, I mean, I really don’t know, because there are some things that are not entirely in my control. I’m trying to be as healthy as possible mentally and physically."

The gold medalist from Paris 2024 would be 41 years old when he reaches the event in Los Angeles, extending his career by—at least—another two and a half seasons. Recall that Nole, at 37, finally achieved the gold medal, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final on the courts of Roland Garros.

The World No. 4—who won three Grand Slams in 2023 and finished as No. 1—has since come close many times in the majors, but has repeatedly fallen, or even retired due to injuries. In the last 8 majors—all won by Sinner or Alcaraz—Nole reached the final once and the semi-finals five other times, with a 36-7 record, with five of those defeats coming against the Spaniard or the Italian.

For now, Djokovic is calling his season complete and will take a break before starting work for 2026. Nole's first major challenge will be at the Australian Open, a tournament he has won 10 times and where he has reached the semi-finals the last two seasons.