Novak Djokovic was forced to pull out of the Australian Open with injury (Image: Getty)
Novak Djokovic’s dream of securing an 11th Australian Open title came to a sudden halt during his semi-final showdown with on Friday. lost a 7-6(5) opening set to the German before shaking his hand and due to a muscle tear in his upper left leg.
The Serbian icon to his groin area during his victory over on Tuesday and faced Zverev with dark tape and a white bandage over his thigh. Though the 37-year-old looked close to his best across 81 minutes in a taxing first set, he could no longer continue and was by sections of the Melbourne Park crowd, who had paid a fortune to see him play.
This most recent ailment was once again a reminder of Djokovic’s tennis mortality, showing that his body is perhaps not what it once was. And the 24-time Grand Slam winner addressed his retirement plans in his press conference afterwards.
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Retirement stance
Djokovic admitted he didn’t know whether it would be his last appearance at Melbourne Park, saying: “I don’t know, there is a chance. Who knows? I’ll just have to see how the season goes.” But crucially, he indicated that he would like to continue if his body allows it.
“I want to keep going, but whether I’m going to have a revised schedule or not for the next year, I’m not sure,” Djokovic said. “I normally like to come to Australia and play, and I’ve had the biggest success in my career here. So if I’m fit, healthy, motivated, I don’t see a reason why I wouldn’t come, but there’s always a chance.”
It follows similar comments in the past from the veteran, who told last October that he’s not planning to retire just yet. Insisting there are more titles for him to win at the top level, Djokovic said: “Deep down, I still feel like I have a few more Grand Slams to win. That’s what drives me to keep going, to feel like I can still do it, and to play the Davis Cup for Serbia. Tennis is still my biggest voice for sharing the messages that interest me the most. I still enjoy the process and everything it gives me.
“Maybe some people think I should retire with the Olympic gold, on a high. Others, on the contrary, think I should keep going as long as I’m a candidate for the Grand Slams. I’m leaning towards the latter. Maybe I’ll change my mind soon, but now I feel like I want to keep going.”
Djokovic wants to keep playing as long as he can compete at the top level (Image: Getty)
He echoed the same sentiment after reaching the quarters last year, saying: “I don’t feel like leaving tennis in that position (number one)” and “I feel like I want to keep on going. The fire is still burning.”
Djokovic did admit, however, that he has started to think about how he wants to call time on his career, stating his dad is a major driving force in encouraging him to hang up his racket. “I don’t know if he’s going to be happy with me saying this,” explained Djokovic, “but I’m going to say it anyway. It starts with my dad. My dad has been trying to retire me for a while now. No, honestly! But he hasn’t been pushy. He respects my decision to keep going. And of course he understands why I want to keep going, but he’s like: ‘What else do you want to do?’
“He understands the amount and the intensity of the pressure and tension that is out there, and the stress that has an effect on my health, my body, and then, consequently, on everyone else who is around me, including him. So that’s why he was like: ‘My son, start to think about how you want to end this.’”
He added: “But I am thinking about how I want to end it and when I want to end it. No, I’m going to take that back. I do think about the how more than the when. The ‘when’, I’m not thinking about it as of yet so intensely. How I would like to end it? I feel if I start to lose more and feel like there is a bigger gap, that I start to have more challenges in overcoming those big obstacles in big Slams, then I’ll probably call it a day.”
Net worth
Djokovic has made a fortune from his sponsorship deals (Image: Getty)
Djokovic’s retirement stance will not be shifted by a need to make more money. The Serb has greater on-court earnings than any other player in tennis history, having topped $184million (£149m) thanks to his 99 career titles.
That, along with his various commercial deals, has landed him a staggering net worth of $240m (£193m), according to . He was sponsored by Adidas until 2009 before signing a ten-year deal with Sergio Tacchini. In 2012, he penned a five-year brand ambassador deal with Uniqlo that was reportedly worth just under £7m a year.
In 2017, Djokovic ended his deal with Uniqlo and became a brand ambassador for Lacoste. Djokovic has also signed deals with brands such as -Benz and Seiko. Between June 2018 and June 2019 alone, he earned a whopping $50m (£40m) from sponsorships.
Post-tennis plans
Given Djokovic’s injuries, external pressure from his father, and his age, it is only natural that he has given more thought to what he will do after retiring. One interest the tennis legend has is giving something back to the sport that has provided him with so much.
Speaking ahead of his first match at the in October, Djokovic declared: “It’s just a sport that I fell in love with when I was very young and I still have the love for the sport. Even when I retire from professional tennis, I feel like I’m going to stay in tennis, stay involved in different roles because I feel like I owe this sport a lot for what it has been giving to me.”
His father, Srdjan, of Belgrade after retirement, despite Djokovic having properties in New York and Monaco. And based on his own words, the tennis icon will keep busy by trying his hand at a number of different professions, including acting and music.
Djokovic would like to turn his talents to live performance (Image: Getty)
“I am interested in many things. I still want to learn to play the saxophone, to really learn,” Djokovic revealed, having performed on stage alongside cellist Stjepan Hauser at a concert in Belgrade in 2023. “A few years ago I played decently for a while, but then I became bad because I didn’t practise regularly.
“I would like to learn to sing, to play some instruments. Saxophone is number one, but I would like to learn to play the others as well. I would like to learn and act in the theatre, I love the theatre. Theatre above all, but I also like movies.
“I prefer live interaction though. I love comedy and try to pick up some tricks from friends who are actors. I would like to start painting and drawing and making things.”