Nick Kyrgios Recalls Conversation with Novak Djokovic, Shares When the Serb Will Retire

Novak Djokovic last lifted a Major at the 2023 US Open, and since then, he has made it to just one Grand Slam final- at the 2024 Wimbledon.

Nick Kyrgios Recalls Conversation with Novak Djokovic, Shares When the Serb Will Retire

Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios (Image via BBC)

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Nick Kyrgios had asked Novak Djokovic during the Indian Wells Masters this year about how long he wanted to keep playing. The Serb has reached the twilight of his career, and winning Majors, which he used to do one after the other during his prime, is becoming a tough job for him.

This year, Djokovic has played the semifinals of the first three Majors, which only indicates that he still has it in him to win another Major. What’s stopping him from doing so are his fitness issues, plus the two youngsters, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, both of whom have won the last seven Grand Slam trophies.

Djokovic, whenever asked about his retirement after his Grand Slam exits this year, hinted that perhaps next year, he could call time on his career, marking the end of the Big 3 era. Kyrgios, from his conversation with the 38-year-old, made a guess about how long Djokovic would want to be a part of the tour.

I think he’s got to be finished soon. Like, come on, what more? I asked him this at Indian Wells this year. We were in the locker room and I said, ‘Why are you here? Why are you playing?’ He just goes ‘I don’t know’.

Nick Kyrgios told Patrick Mouratoglou on the UTS Talk Show

In this year’s Major events, Djokovic’s campaign at the Australian Open ended with a hamstring injury. At the French Open and at Wimbledon, Sinner defeated him in the semifinals.

Though Djokovic gave a tough fight to the eventual runner-up in Paris before losing the match in straight sets, at Wimbledon, Djokovic was no match for the four-time Grand Slam champion, who later defeated Alcaraz in four sets to become the first Italian ever to taste success at SW19.

I go ‘what about your kids, I know you want to spend time with your family’. He said, ‘Yeah, I don’t know. ’ That was the first time I think he misses his family a lot. I stay in touch with him all the time. I can’t see him playing for more than another year. Not again. Not the whole year again.

Nick Kyrgios added

Djokovic, from 2018 to 2024, had been successful in booking a spot in the Wimbledon finals. The streak ended this year due to his defeat to Sinner.

Ken Rosewall hopes to see Novak Djokovic break his record by winning his 25th Major

Ken Rosewall, a former player from Australia, lifted the 1972 Australian Open at the age of 37 years, 2 months, and 1-day-old. He holds the record of the oldest man to win a Grand Slam singles title, and Novak Djokovic will surpass him if he wins his historic 25th Major.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (via Punto de Break)

The Belgrade native last won a Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open. That year itself, he would have won his 25th Major as well as completed the Calendar Grand Slam had Carlos Alcaraz not eked out the win in the Wimbledon final. Rosewall, during an interview with the Australian Open, expressed his wish to see his own record broken by Djokovic and become the oldest man to lift a Grand Slam title.

Either way, I wouldn’t mind, but Novak, you know, he deserves his record, what he has. He’s won more Grand Slams than anybody else, so another one wouldn’t hurt.

This season, Djokovic has reached two finals- at the Miami Open, which he lost to Jakub Mensik, and at the Geneva Open, where he captured his 100th singles title, becoming the third man to win 100 or more titles in the Open Era after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer.

Also read: Jannik Sinner Gives Insights Into Bouncing Back From Failures in Sports After Resurgent Wimbledon Title Win