"It might be another year, it might be another 15 years" - 39-year-old Djokovic still 'feels young' as retirement talk dismissed

39-years-old and still going strong, Novak Djokovic has no intention of retiring from tennis, stating that he could even go for another 15 years before calling it a day as his age does not stop him from competing with the best players on the ATP Tour.

Widely recognised as one of the best, if not the best, tennis players to grace the court, Djokovic has re-written the record books in his two decades competing. The Serbian's 24 Grand Slam titles is the obvious stat many go to with the caveat that he is one away from getting the all-time record with Margaret Court also on 24.

This is his main motive with the US Open starting in just over a week. This was the scene of Djokovic's last Grand Slam title, defeating Daniil Medvedev back in 2023 as he took another step towards immortality. Since then, the rise of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has been one that even he has struggled at times to keep up with.

While not competing in as many tournaments, his work ethic and persistent focus on fitness and recovery has allowed him to continue competing at the top level to this day and beyond.

While Djokovic's career will inevitably come to a sudden halt one day, there is still speculation when that day will be. Speaking in his new documentary, ‘The Wolf in Winter,‘ he ruled out an imminent retirement and confirmed that his playing career will continue.

“I truly still feel young,” Djokovic said. “I don’t know when I’m going to finish my career. It might be another year, it might be another 15 years. I don’t know. As long as I have the drive, the passion, but most of all, as long as I feel like I can win tournaments and I can be one of the best players in the world, I want to keep going."

There is no date set in stone with Djokovic calling out any retirement calls by tennis fans and analysts. “I have no date in my mind, to be honest, the expiry date of my career. I know a lot of people are speculating that, a lot of people are retiring me already for many years. Why would you want to retire me when I’m still playing and I’m still competing at the highest level? I’m still ranked top five in the world. Why would I talk about retirement when I keep proving to myself that I can still win?"

There is just one person that he is attempting to prove wrong everyday, and that is himself. “The number one doubter is here. I’m the number one doubter, and I’m trying to prove myself wrong more than anyone else.”

Djokovic does not appear in many tournaments these days. His main focus is the four Grand Slam tournaments with that 25th major title his main focus.

With the US Open drawing nearer, Djokovic was very positive when speaking about his recovery after Wimbledon and the positive way his body reacted. This allowed him to make a return to the Cincinnati Open for the first time since 2023, where he won a thriller against Alcaraz.

With no Alcaraz or Sinner in action, he would have been confident in making another title run. However, the Ohio heat got the better of him in a surprising collapse against Thiago Agustin Tirante, blowing a one set lead to be dumped out in the second round.

It is another reason for fans to be worried, but also brews another chance for Djokovic to prove them wrong and kick on to more major success at Flushing Meadows.