Former Grand Slam champion completely distrusts Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is not playing or commenting about his play like a person who wants to keep playing tennis for much longer. One of the Serb's strengths has always been his will to win and his ability to stay focused when matches are at their most stressful. Any decline in those aspects might lead to a greatly diminished Djokovic.

That is what we have seen, comparatively speaking, in 2024. The ATP No. 1 has not yet made the final at an event. After winning seven titles in 2023, including three Grand Slams, Djokovic's results this year are shocking. He might not win every Australian Open, though he has won 10 titles in Melbourne, but he should have won some event by May.

Recently when speaking with Nick Kyrgios on Kyrgios' podcast, Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios, the Serb said he was motivationally conflicted currently. He wants to win still, but he also misses his family more and more. He also said something quite telling about seeing a life beyond tennis.

Amelie Mauresmo says she doesn't trust Novak Djokovic's words

Djokovic told Kyrgios, "The little Novak, the four-year-old Novak, who started playing tennis in Kopaonik in Serbia, is still inside and still in love with the sport and is still so hungry for more. But at the same time, there’s probably this more mature Novak, father and a husband, that is, ‘Come on, man. There are other things in life as well.'"

Former WTA No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion Amelie Mauresmo says to not believe what Djokovic is trying to sell, however. Instead of Djokovic not being sure about how long he wants to keep playing, Mauresmo implied that maybe the Serb is trying to set his opponents up to not be so focused when playing him. They will expect less greatness from Novak Djokovic so they will not need to play as well.

Mauresmo said on the C à vous talk show, "He has times when things aren’t going well, times when he has less motivation...But he has incredible mental strength and we have seen him in very complex situations throughout his career, which he overcame in an extraordinary way. I distrust him. Yes yes, even if we think that it is more difficult, that he is at the bottom of the wave, he still has extraordinary resources."

Ironically, the day this is being posted - May 22 - is also Djokovic's birthday. This means he is another year older and maybe closer to retirement. Maybe he isn't giving tennis fans a bill of goods. Instead, he knows he is getting older and his children are getting older as well. Maybe he is simply tired of missing too many events in their lives.

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