Novak Djokovic is a miracle. He is 39 years old, ancient for a professional tennis player, but still consistently makes deep runs in Grand Slam events. He even reached the final of the Australian Open in 2026 before losing to Carlos Alcaraz.
Why would the Serbian choose to retire? He doesn't have to play much and has relative success when he does.
The issue might be specific to Djokovic. His level of success isn't the same as anyone else's. He's won 24 majors, more than any other man. But in the last two and a half years, he hasn't been able to push back both Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz at the same event (no shame, as no one else does that, either), and his runs at tournaments tend to stop when playing those two young icons.
Andre Agassi predicts how the end will come for Novak Djokovic
Should he retire knowing that? Not yet. According to tennis legend Andre Agassi, Djokovic will eventually retire, of course, but when the end comes, it will come quickly, and not as a drawn-out run of events. Djokovic's response to that observation is basically, "Sure."
Speaking at Fanatics Fest recently, Djokovic said of Agassi's prediction, "Andre Agassi is one of the all-time greats, of course. He was part of my documentary, and he said: ‘I don’t know when the end is coming for Novak, but I’m sure as hell that, when it comes, it comes fast. I think he’s right. Of course, I would lie if (I said) I don’t have those thoughts. I do have them. And I don’t know if there’s a perfect way (to retire)."
Obviously, Novak Djokovic has thought about what it would be like to hang up his racket professionally. He has previously said he would like to call it a career by participating in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics representing Serbia. He will be defending the gold medal he won in 2024 at the Paris Olympics (defeating Alcaraz). How good he can be at age 41 is anyone's guess.
What the Serbian and fans don't want is to watch him suffer a debilitating injury or see his immense skills erode so much that he is only a shell of himself as a player going through the motions while trying to win high-stress matches. So far, Djokovic has beaten Father Time, but that doesn't last forever.
If the end comes swiftly, let's hope it comes after Novak Djokovic has won his 25th major, and he announces that it is the end. What better way to go out than on top, just as he has done so many times before?
