Novak Djokovic hasn't won a major since 2023, though, to be fair, only one player (Alexander Zverev) has won a single Grand Slam, as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have been scooping them up since the beginning of 2024. Djokovic still has astonishing consistency in making deep runs at important events.
This means he's very good, but maybe not good enough to consistently defeat Sinner, whom he did defeat at the Australian Open in 2026, but then lost to him in the semis of Wimbledon and Alcaraz. The Serbian icon has implied for quite some time that he would only keep playing if he felt he could win titles.
This is why what he said at Fanatics Fest recently is getting too much buzz. Djokovic basically said nothing, though people are interpreting his words as an indication he could retire soon. The tennis legend definitely did not say that.
Novak Djokovic likely isn't ready to give up on tennis just yet
Speaking with ESPN ahead of the event, the 24-time Grand Slam winner offered, "I still feel that I can compete at the highest level; however, that moment (of retirement) is closer than ever."
Well, yes. What would have been notable is Djokovic saying he no longer thought he could beat Sinner and Alcaraz, and then following that with the self-awareness that the end of his career is closer than the beginning. The latter is what he truly said, but he didn't say the former.
In other words, the Serbian understands he will retire eventually, possibly after the 2028 Olympics, as he has stated he wants to compete at the Los Angeles Games for his country. Still, he isn't totally ready to give up on the thought that he can major No. 25, breaking the tie of most Grand Slam titles he currently holds with Margaret Court.
Ironically, while Court likely would have come nowhere near 24 major wins had she played in more of the modern era, it is the current era of tennis that is keeping Djokovic from winning his 25th. Can he still beat Sinner at times? Yes, and he's shown that in 2026. Can he get past Sinner and Alcaraz at the same tournament? That's a different challenge, and one that is far less likely.
But that is the story that Novak Djokovic wants at the end of his tennis career. It is also the narrative many fans would want, too. If one is going to retire, why not go out on top? We should all be so lucky, and maybe that will happen with the Serbian legend.
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