"If I was in his place, I would never retire either": Novak Djokovic unlikely to curtail career while competitive admits former rival
ATP
Novak Djokovic is missing in reality the final piece of his tennis puzzle in the form of a 25th and decisive Grand Slam to become the undisputed best of all time. But former Australian Open finalist, Marcos Baghdatis sees a Catch 22 with the current state of Djokovic's game.
While he is still on top and isn't in danger of falling down any further, Baghdatis admitted as per Tennis365 in an interview that he wouldn't retire either despite the fact that his chances of Grand Slam 25 are lessening year on year.
Baghdatis did add though that it depends on him and the enjoyment he still has or doesn't have for the game. He demonstrated superb longevity for the game in 2025 finishing the season as World No.4 despite just playing 12 tournaments, he reached the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams and won titles in Geneva and Athens.
“Year by year, it’s going less and less, the chances, that’s for sure,” the former world No 8 said to Tennis365. "But he’s still there, he’s still in the top five players in the world, he’s still competing with the top two, even top three.
“So, he’s still there. But how long, I think depends only on him, depends especially on his mind, if he’s still enjoying it and playing at that level. If I was in his place, I would never retire either. But it all depends on him.”
Baghdatis did say though that Djokovic might be an outlier in terms of future tennis longevity due to the increased nature of the tennis schedule. He also spoke about his own duels with the Big Three.
Duels with Djokovic
He faced Djokovic on eight occasions between 2007 and 2015. Although he won at least a set in three encounters at Grand Slams and in his view having also faced Federer and Nadal that he was better than both and has reached a higher peak.
“I think, whenever I played Novak, [they were] pretty close matches. That’s my thinking. Maybe I’m wrong, but what’s what I remember,” Baghdatis said.
“But I think I once got a nice beating out of him, and it was in Indian Wells. It was a 6-1, 6-2 (6-1, 6-3), I came off the court and I felt the guy gave me a lesson.
“And I never felt like that with another player. I never felt like that with Roger or with Rafa, even when I was younger and I played Roger, I always felt like, ‘Next time I can beat him’. I always felt that.
“But with Novak it was… I didn’t have that feeling, especially after that match.”
When it comes to retirement though, Djokovic has recently stated his intention to compete at least until the Olympic Games in 2028 when he'd be in his early 40's. "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," he said after winning in Athens.
"Since I’ve achieved absolutely all possible goals, I said about the 2028 Olympics because I wanted to play for so many more years. So maybe ending up at the Olympic Games with the Serbian flag, that would be nice."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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