Novak Djokovic Gives a Surprising Update About His Plans for the Rest of the 2025 Season

Novak Djokovic didn't compete in the 2024 ATP Finals in Turin despite qualifying for it.

Novak Djokovic Gives a Surprising Update About His Plans for the Rest of the 2025 Season

Novak Djokovic (via X/The Tennis Letter)

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Novak Djokovic has admitted that he’s undecided about participating in the ATP Finals in Turin in November. The World No.5 revealed that the reason for that is that he doesn’t have long-term plans anymore, which indicates that the 38-year-old is thinking about hanging up his racket anytime soon.

Djokovic is back in action at the Rolex Shanghai Masters this week and kicked off his campaign with a scintillating straight-set victory over Croatian star Marin Cilic in the second round after earning a first-round bye. He now holds a 20-2 lead against the former US Open champion in their head-to-head record on tour.

The tournament is the Serbian legend’s first appearance on tour since his US Open semi-final defeat against Carlos Alcaraz in September. His appearance at the Shanghai Masters is somewhat of a surprise as he has been spotted on numerous occasions spending time with his family and friends.

However, with 4,190 points to his name in the ATP rankings, Djokovic is well-placed to qualify for the season-ending tournament in Turin. He is the record champion of the ATP Finals having won it seven times in his career, including in 2022 and 2023. But last year, he surprisingly didn’t feature at the event.

This season, the 2024 Shanghai finalist is likely to do the same as he’s focused on competing at the Shanghai Masters and then at the Hellenic Championship in Athens. He revealed during his press conference in Shanghai that he’s yet to decide if he will feature at the ATP Finals in Turin. The former World No.1 added that he’s still open to changing his mind:

You asked me about Turin. Yeah, it is a tournament where I had quite a bit of success in the last years, I won it two times, and, you know, hopefully I can be back, let’s see. I don’t make plans long-term anymore. I’ve said that, I said that in New York [the US Open]. So after Shanghai, the only tournament I know I’m going to play is the one in Athens, and then let’s see if I play Turin or not, I’m not sure yet.

The Shanghai Masters is expected to finish on October 12. However, the next Masters 1000 tournament will be the Paris Indoors, which comes towards the end of October. The Athens Championship comes early November, a week before the ATP Finals in Turin.

Novak Djokovic opens up about the support he receives from his wife and children

The Hellenic Championship was previously held in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, but has now been moved to Greece. Recently, Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena, and children Stefan and Tara moved to Athens and are currently living in the Greek capital. It is reported that it has been planned as his long-term base, once he retires from tennis.

Novak Djokovic family kids Jelena Stefan Tara Olympics
Novak Djokovic with his wife and kids (image via Instagram)

During the aforementioned press conference, Djokovic noted that his wife and children remain his key supporters from afar. The 24-time Grand Slam champion also added that his son now enjoys playing tennis:

Well my son, he plays tennis more and so he follows what’s going on. He was really insisting on traveling with me to China. He wants to travel with me everywhere, but he has to do school, and it’s not that simple. But he’s really in love with tennis and the sport. My kids and my wife are, you know, my biggest supporters.

Djokovic’s children have often been seen among the crowd at tennis tournaments. They were in the stands at the Geneva Open, where he claimed his historic 100th tour-level title after beating Polish star Hubert Hurkacz in the final. He will be aiming to win his fifth Shanghai Masters without them in the stands.

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