Serbia’s Novak Djokovic talks to the media

Could Novak Djokovic’s retirement from tennis come sooner than even he expects?

Djokovic opted against aggravating an injury as he pulled out of the lucrative ATP Finals in Turin, but there was a feeling the 24-time Grand Slam great made the call to skip the end-of-season tournament due to his waning passion for tennis.

The Serbian made it clear earlier this year that he is eager to focus all his energies on winning Grand Slam titles and playing for Serbia in the Davis Cup in what is likely to be the final year of his career in 2025.

“My main motivation comes from love and passion for the sport, and also the desire to keep competing,” said Djokovic after losing the Shanghai Masters final against Jannik Sinner last month.

“These are kind of matches and challenges that I still strive for, to be in a position to play against the best players in the world, on the biggest stage, in the finals of some of the biggest tournaments in the world. So that’s what I work for and why I still keep on pushing myself.

“I don’t know what the future brings, I’ll just, you know, try to kind of go with the flow to see how I feel in a given moment. I still plan to compete and play next season and let’s see how far I go.”

Djokovic clearly had challenges finding motivation for events outside of the Grand Slams and the Olympics in 2024, but he will know his career is over when he has that feeling on court in one of the four majors.

If that happens at the Australian Open, his retirement date may be moved forward very quickly, with former world No 1 Jim Courier suggesting the next Grand Slam in Melbourne could define whether the most successful player of all-time still has fuel in his tank to challenge for more titles.

“This next year is going to be super telling,” Courier told The Tennis Channel’s Inside In podcast.

“It will be really telling if he adds a coach to his team in the off-season and if he shows up in Australia with a new idea, something new to think about. If he doesn’t, he might have one foot out the door.

“If he does have some fresh blood on his squad, I would be bullish about him.

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“It was telling when (Goran) Ivanesevic left his team and after that, he seemed disinterested in some of the tournaments and that’s understandable when you have done everything there is to do.

“There is nothing in his game or his movement that would indicate he is incapable win multiple majors going forward.

“It’s all about what’s between his ears and inside the heart. Does he have the passion and the fury that drives him? We’ll see.”

Djokovic’s year was focused on his push to win the Olympic gold medal fresh doubts have been raised about his ambition to fight on after he achieved that aim with a win against Carlos Alcaraz in a thrilling final in August.

The Serbian’s level of tennis in that Paris match against Alcaraz would be good enough to allow him to compete for major titles next year, yet Courier has suggested his appetite to continue in the sport may evaporate quickly if he fails to shine in January’s Australian Open.