Novak Djokovic 'kind of divided' on when to curtail tennis career: "I don’t want to miss out on too many moments with my children"
ATP
Novak Djokovic admits that he is in two minds about when to conclude his tennis career with the hunger still there but a myriad of factors why he would potentially conclude his career in the coming year or so.
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion is still at the top of the sport and still showing that despite being in the twilight of his career that the younger players are still very much on the catch up as opposed to being level with the great Serbian. But having a young family too and not wanting to miss out on their childhood leaves Djokovic pondering how his future will pan out.
He admits that he has devoted 30 years to tennis so there will come a point where that decision will be made albeit more emotional than physical with Djokovic still competing at the very top and in his words can still 'run for hours'. While not imminent, retirement is seemingly on the brain in the coming years.
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"To be honest, I’m kind of divided [on when to stop and where to play]. There’s always a part of me that is a young boy who just adores tennis and knows only about tennis and devoted his entire life to tennis and that boy still wants to keep going," Djokovic said.
"And then, on the other side, I’m the father of two children, and I’m away from my family, and every time I travel for an extended period of time it breaks my heart. So I’m always thinking about, how long should I play, how many tournaments should I play, is it worth it?," he added.
"I’m still hungry, I still want to compete, I still can run for hours, thankfully, but it’s more of an emotional aspect. It’s more of like, 'What is the priority?' Tennis has been the priority for 30 years, and I don’t want to miss out on too many moments with my children."
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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