Things have become quiet around Novak Djoković. Since the Serb played his last game of the 2025 season at the small ATP 250 tournament in Athens at the beginning of November and won his 101st career title against the Italian Lorenzo Musetti, Djoković has left the stage and headlines to the competition.
He officially withdrew from the ATP finals for the eight best players of the year in Turin in mid-November due to a shoulder injury. That was strange and yet not surprising.
There was no sign of the injury in question a few days earlier in his new home of Athens – the family had moved their main residence to Greece in late summer. On the contrary, Djoković appeared fit. The 38-year-old was probably no longer able to motivate himself for the final tournament and was longing for the end of the season.
“/> The Serb won title number 101 in his new hometown of Athens. Reuters / Louiza Vradi
The withdrawal also fit into the overall picture that Djoković has been painting for some time. He chooses his tournament starts with great care, as a father of two he pays more attention to the work-life balance and gives his body more breaks than ever.
The fact that Djoković, who turns 39 in May, is still one of the best is extraordinary in many ways. With the world number 69. Gaël Monfils – he will end his career in 2026 – is only one player in the top 100 (eight months) older than the Serb. At the top of the game, however, Djoković is a notable exception.
Of the other top ten players, none are older than 28 (Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz). The two industry leaders Carlos Alcaraz (22) and Jannik Sinner (24) are significantly younger. Djoković is still number four in the world in the points rankings after just eleven tournaments.
This takes the wind out of the sails of all critics who suggest that the old master should resign. The 2025 match balance reads clearly positively with 39:11 victories, although the defeats, including surprising ones, are increasing.
Seven of the eleven defeats last year came against professionals who were ranked outside the top 30. A statistic that would have been unthinkable not so long ago.
Concerns about whether he is still capable of playing the violin have increased in Novak Djoković’s camp over the past two years. The 24-time major champion is stuck in a vicious circle, so to speak. Advancing age is undoubtedly making things difficult for him on the tennis court; his biological clock cannot be stopped, let alone turned back.
Djoković is no longer getting any faster; he has long since exhausted his talent for movement. Regeneration times inevitably lengthen, which is why extended tournament breaks seem absolutely sensible, but at the same time Grand Slam tournaments are particularly merciless. Playing a match in best-of-five mode every other day within two weeks demands everything mentally and physically from even the best players in the world.
