Jessica Pegula’s Coach Makes Bold Prediction About Novak Djokovic’s Retirement

Novak Djokovic has won just the Geneva Open this year and reached the semifinals of the four Grand Slam tournaments.

Jessica Pegula’s Coach Makes Bold Prediction About Novak Djokovic’s Retirement

Novak Djokovic (Image via Univers Tennis)

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Novak Djokovic has made it clear that he will be playing at least one more season to win his 25th Grand Slam title, which has eluded him since the 2024 season. Since winning his 24th Major at the 2023 US Open, Djokovic has only once reached a Grand Slam final – at the 2024 Wimbledon, and he couldn’t end the match in his favor, losing it in straight sets.

This year, after giving the walkover to Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open semifinal, the Serb reached the last four of the remaining three Majors as well, though he couldn’t end the matches in his favor.

World No.1 Jannik Sinner knocked him out twice – at the French Open and Wimbledon, while at the US Open, it was Alcaraz, who took his 2024 Paris Olympics final as well as his 2025 Australian Open quarterfinal defeat revenge with a straight-set win.

After his US Open exit, Djokovic expressed his wish to feature in the Majors in 2026. Now, Mark Knowles, the coach of Jessica Pegula, said during the Tennis Channel podcast about what he has heard about the 38-year-old on the tour.

You know what, it’s hard to speculate on Novak Djokovic. I don’t think any mere mortal can find the motivation to keep playing, but he does. Luckily for us, we get to watch him play. We want to see the greatest players of all time play forever. He defies the passage of time, which we all love. No one has ever done that. He’s getting close.

In 2023, Djokovic clinched seven titles and missed the Calendar Grand Slam because of a five-set defeat to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. The last Big Title he clinched was the 2024 Paris Olympics, and he came close to winning the Miami Open this year, but Jakub Mensik stopped him from winning with a straight-set victory.

He’s fighting a battle against time. From what I’ve heard, he has no plans to end his career and will play in 2026 and 2027. So it’s obvious he loves the challenge and still believes in himself.

Mark Knowles added

Djokovic was last seen in action at the US Open and has skipped both the ATP 500 events that are underway in Beijing and Tokyo. He will next be featuring at the Shanghai Masters, where he suffered a straight-set defeat to Sinner last year.

Wheelchair player Michael Jeremiasz recalls playing against Novak Djokovic

Michael Jeremiasz, the former wheelchair tennis player from France, has never clinched a Major in singles, reaching the quarterfinal only once in 2016 at the French Open- also his first and only Major in singles. But he has five Grand Slam doubles titles. He recently sat for an interview with Tennis Legends, and he recalled defeating Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-0 during a training session.

Novak Djokovic (via X/The Tennis Letter)
Novak Djokovic (via X/The Tennis Letter)

If I give another example, I played a few years ago at the US Open with Novak Djokovic, at his request. I want to clarify, so nice, I accepted. We played, Novak hardly scored a point against me. He might make me serve; he’ll surprise me, but I scored him two points in a wheelchair. But it’s still Novak. They’re two different sports.

Jeremiasz also won the gold medal at the 2008 Paralympic Games and took home a bronze medal in 2012. Djokovic did not clinch his Olympic gold medal before the Paris Olympics last year.

The World No.4 has so far clinched only the ATP 250 Geneva Open, which has made him only the third man after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer to win 100 or more singles titles in the Open Era. Djokovic will also be playing another ATP 250 tournament in November- the first edition of the Hellenic Championship.

Also read: Boris Becker Shares Why Roger Federer was Novak Djokovic’s ‘Number One Nemesis’ at Wimbledon