Novak Djokovic’s career is not over yet, although his best years are behind him and the Serbian legend has not won a single title in 2024. At almost 38 years old, the 24-time Grand Slam champion still loves the sport very much and plans to continue competing for the most prestigious titles.

The former world number 1 ‘saved’ his 2024 season thanks to the epic triumph at the Paris Olympics during the summer, in which he finally won the gold medal and left everyone speechless by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final after a sensational battle.

The 37-year-old from Belgrade did not shine in the last part of the season and decided to skip the last official tournaments in which he was supposed to defend his title (the Rolex Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin), but he promised that he will do everything he can to become great again in 2025.

Even before the start of the new season, Nole shocked the whole world by announcing the start of a new collaboration with Andy Murray. The former Scottish champion – who retired from tennis over the summer – will be his coach at the 2025 Australian Open, where Novak thinks he has a serious chance of winning his 25th Major title.

Nole never gives up

Djokovic will play an official tournament before the Happy Slam, the Brisbane International, in which he had participated only once in 2009 (he will also play doubles with Nick Kyrgios). The current world number 7 will arrive in Australia very soon, with the intention of getting used to the climate and the surface after working hard during the pre-season.

The Serbian ace will have a more substantial schedule than in recent years, in which his appearances on the tour were very sporadic. Recently, it was announced that Nole will play the prestigious Doha ATP 500 in February. It will be a particularly interesting edition, as Sinner and Alcaraz will also be there.

Fans, insiders and players themselves find it hard to believe that Djokovic still wants to compete at the highest level despite breaking every record. Novak has an almost unreal motivation and the desire to overcome his limits pushes him to continue playing.

On the latest edition of the ‘Super Moscato Show’, French ace Richard Gasquet paid tribute to Nole: “I ask myself how it’s possible he could still win Grand Slam titles. I don’t know if it’s ever happened before, at 37, to be so strong in a sport, to be number 2 or 3 in the world, to think that he can still win Grand Slams. It’s something unique, it’s really incredible.”

A complex character

The 24-time Grand Slam champion has not only made tennis history, but has always played an active role in the development of the sport. The Serbian legend has spent a lot of energies trying to help secondary players earn more money and was one of the founders of the PTPA at the end of 2020.

The goal of that initiative was to create a sort of players’ union, so that we could take joint action and ensure greater fairness within the tour.

In a long interview with MARCA, former World No.1 in doubles Emilio Sanchez Vicario reflected on Novak’s impact off the court: “I think it’s a good time to create a pyramid structure in which one could ascend in an even manner and where there would be many more people earning money. Djokovic tried something like that… And how long did it take to remove him from the Council? Why? Because if he promoted more distribution on the tournaments, it would harm the managers, and they convinced the players that it would be detrimental to them.”

He also added: “The association that promoted it, the PTPA , is still active. And it said that the players could not be in the same boat as those who share the money… Small steps are being taken because there is a bigger cake at hand, and as it seems that something is brewing, we have to see where this situation will lead.”

Unlike most of his rivals, the legend from Belgrade has never been afraid to express unpopular opinions and receive very fierce criticism. Nole has a very strong personality and for this reason he has not always received the credit he deserved from fans and insiders.

The Serbian has made several mistakes during his career, but he has always been an authentic character and has sacrificed some things to stay true to his ideas. The COVID vaccine affair was emblematic of this concept, with several repercussions for Djokovic from many points of view.