Novak Djokovic’s beach photos hint at season's end, potential ATP Finals absence

Photos of Novak Djokovic on the beaches of the Maldives may suggest the end of his 2024 season and a potential absence from the ATP Finals. The 24-time Grand Slam champion remains 6th in the Race, despite withdrawing from the Paris Masters, leaving his ATP Finals qualification in doubt.

Nonetheless, he is still best positioned for one of the three remaining spots thanks to his 3,910 points. Close behind are Casper Ruud (3,855), Alex de Minaur (3,745), Andrey Rublev (3,729), and Grigor Dimitrov (3,340).

The former world No. 1 won the ATP Finals for a seventh time in 2023, though he has acknowledged that his interest in the event has waned. “Turin is not my goal at all, to be honest, I am not chasing the ATP Finals; I am not chasing the rankings,” Djokovic said after playing for Serbia in the Davis Cup in September. Serbia was eliminated early in the year and secured a spot for the 2025 qualifiers, so they will not be among the eight finalists in Malaga.

“As far as I am concerned, I am done with those tournaments for my career. Whether I will play in other tournaments this year or in the future, I can’t say right now,” Djokovic added. “My main priorities are playing for the national team and Grand Slams; everything else is less important.”

Recently, former coach of Serena Williams, Patrick Mouratoglou, commented in an interview with Tennis365 that despite Djokovic’s uncertain year, he cannot be ruled out as a candidate for major titles in 2025: “I think he had a very bad year, but it came after an incredible year,” Mouratoglou said. “Let’s not forget that only last year he won three Grand Slams and played in the final of the fourth. So we shouldn’t forget that was just one year ago, not ten years ago.”

“He won the Olympics, which was his main focus this year, defeating Carlos [Alcaraz] in the final, playing fantastic tennis, so he is not far off,” said the current coach of Naomi Osaka.

“I think he can beat them (Sinner and Alcaraz). It’s very difficult, and while the margin has narrowed, it’s still there,” Mouratoglou added. “When he plays them, I think anyone can win, but I don’t think he’s far behind. I think he can still win Grand Slams, I’m sure of it.”

“For Novak, it’s only about his motivation,” Mouratoglou added. “I understand that he struggles with it at the moment because his whole career was about surpassing the other two and being better than them; that was his lifelong fight in tennis, and he won it.”

“So to keep his motivation now, it’s very difficult. With Rafa retiring, that’s been a challenge the entire year, and that’s how I see it. I don’t know if I’m right, but this year has been tough for Novak,” he added. “From the start of the season, you could see that Rafa was struggling a lot, and it probably occurred to him, ‘Well, I won.’

“When you fight all your life for something and finally achieve it, where do you find the motivation?" Mouratoglou stated. "So I hope this challenging year is something he can use to fuel his motivation and return next year as strong as before, because then we’ll have a showdown among the three of them that will be incredible—and I want to see it.”