Novak Djokovic is gearing up for yet another season in pro tennis (Image: Getty)
Novak Djokovic is trying to ‘cheat nature’ in order to surpass Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s record for the longest careers in tennis, according to former tennis star Nikolay Davydenko.
Of tennis’ big three, Djokovic is the only player still active on the Tour, with Nadal having joined Federer in retirement earlier this year.
The Serb already has the most Grand Slam wins of any male player in history, boasting 24 titles to his name, compared to Federer’s 20 and Nadal’s 22.
However, according to Davydenko, Djokovic has his sights set on a different record before hanging up his racket.
Speaking to Match TV, he stated: “He’s trying to cheat nature. We’ll see if he succeeds.
“Maybe he wants to surpass Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s record for longest career.
“Roger finished at 41, maybe Novak wants to reach that age. Maybe he’ll play fewer tournaments.”
But Davydenko isn’t convinced Djokovic’s iron-man attempts are having the desired impact right now.
Andy Murray is set to join Novak Djokovic’s coaching team (Image: Getty)
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Ahead of the 2025 season, Djokovic has added former foe Andy Murray to his coaching ranks, with the pair’s first task next month’s Australian Open.
And according to ex-pro Brad Gilbert, bringing in Murray could be the extra motivation boost Djokovic needs.
He told the official APT website: “I kind of sensed that Novak was going to do something. You didn’t know what he was going to do, but you kind of sensed that he probably needed something, and something to motivate him. And obviously he goes way back with Andy.
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“Andy knows a lot about Novak, knows a lot about the players who Novak is going to be chasing.
“But I think more than anything, where Novak is, you’ve got these two huge, young guys now [Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz] who have just really elevated and I think Novak probably feels like he needs a little bit and I think most importantly, needs that motivation.”
