Despite being one of the best players on the ATP Tour, Novak Djokovic’s tennis career is coming to an end.
The 38-year-old is able to mix it with the new generation without looking at his sales pitch, but like Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, and other hundreds bowed before him, the writing seems to be on the wall.
Father time has been getting djokovic for a while now, with alarm bells starting to ring at the end of the 2024 season when he ends up winning one serb (something that hasn’t happened to a serb since 2017).
And when Djokovic lost to Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open last month, it officially made it a two-year slam-dunk.
There is even more cause for concern when you consider the fact Djokovic arrived in New York with injuries for the last three slams he played.
Not only is Djokovic not winning, but he is also constantly battling injuries.
This, inevitably, led to the retirement talks heating up – and now many are waiting for the last year of the Serb in his pursuit of the unlimited title of the 25th Grand Slam.
Djokovic is expected to retire in 2026, but he doesn’t “give” the grand slams yet
All signs point to Novak Djokovic retiring in 2026.
Djokovic himself has been in retirement for a while, and even his father is reportedly encouraging him to hang up his racket, so his apparent abandonment over the past two years seals the deal.
There’s a bit of a conflict here with the Serb, who doesn’t want to go out with a whimper but also wants to get his hands on it all – so he’s 25 times closer.
Slam No. 25 can be a perfect way to get a virtual job, but as we often see on the platform, players rarely get the right ending they want. By the time the next year rolls around, Djokovic will be 39 years old and history tells us that his injuries are expected to get worse.
And with Alcaraz and Jannik Sonner threatening the rest of the trip, the ship may be sailing for Djokovic.
This is something that Djokovic talks about in a speech during this year’s Open, saying:
“I don’t give up good slams […] I will continue to fight and try to reach the finals and fight for another medal, at least. But it will be a very difficult task. ”
The grit and fight that enabled Djokovic to reach the heights he has during his career is still there, albeit now mixed with a certain self-awareness.
But, interestingly, let’s finish the fact that “Lole” somehow managed to reach the semi-slams of all the grand slams in 2025, which will be considered as another player, which will be considered as a career milestone.
It is almost unbelievable to do this as a 38-year-old, and it is also found that there may be enough in the djokovic tank to upset one of the slams next year, especially if one of Alcaraz or ALCARAZ.
Djokovic is the third favorite for the 2026 Australian open
Sportlogys Esportbook seems to agree with this thinking, with all of them, including betmgm, ranked very high in the betting analysis, listing Novak Djokovic as the third favorite for the Australian open:
- Jannik Sinner +125
- Carlos Alcaraz +275
- Novak Djokovic +550
This conflict is possible, it can change in the building next year, especially if Djokovic can put on a show at the ATP Finals in November, where he is expected to play.
Before that, the 24-year Grand Slam champion will meet again at the Athens Open, which is scheduled for November 1-8, allowing a quick recovery from his last disappointing exit at the Shanghai Masters.
Alcaraz and soni are the season here
Despite the sudden end of Djokovic’s career, tennis is in safe hands.
Alcaraz and Soni, who have already won 6 and 4 slams respectively, are two rising stars, and look set to dominate the sport for the next decade.
Alcaraz’ aggressive and explosive player, who recently returned to tennis following a controversial doping suspension, has big boots to fill, but so far he has done an excellent job in tennis.
Djokovic likes what he sees, too, and remains humbled by the fact that hitting these players is now an uphill battle:
“I’m happy with my level of tennis, but it’s just meat,”
“It will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the problem of the sinner, Alcaraz, in the elite – five in the best margin.”
This was more evident than ever in the wimbledon semi-finals where the sinner destroyed djokovic 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 – Which many see as the passing of the torch.
It’s obviously going down like a shock for Djokovic, even his biggest critics expect him to take at least a set in that semifinal. It wasn’t to be, however, and with alcaraz and sino season now in full flow, the Serb has a big mountain to climb next year.
Djokovic’s dream of a 25th Grand Slam appears to be over, along with retirement
In the fall, you can never tell.
But if you look at the big picture, Alcaraz’s final Wimbledon 2024 Alcaraz may, in fact, have been the last roll of the dice. They will not look for anything short of a miracle and the outstanding conditions of djokovic to achieve his dream of 25 major, but the fans of the “four thousandth” time of Tennis will hold on to the hope that he can do it.
Until then, the retirement talk will continue, and it would be surprising if some sort of retirement announcement is made in Djokovic’s camp at some point in 2026.
One thing for sure is that it looks like this tennis story will still participate in all the gram slams next year, but you can also expect a much reduced schedule without the majors.
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