Toni Nadal Makes Bold Novak Djokovic Retirement Prediction and Thinks 25th Grand Slam Chase ‘Makes No Sense’

Novak Djokovic competing for Majors despite being 39 years old makes no sense, believes Toni Nadal, the uncle and former coach of Rafael Nadal. This is Toni’s opinion only because he thinks Djokovic has won everything there is to win in this sport.

But Toni also made a bold prediction regarding the Serb’s retirement. Since 2024, after winning his career’s first Olympic gold medal in Paris, Djokovic, whenever he is asked when he will call time on his career, has given only one answer: that he plans to retire at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, holding the Serbian flag. Toni thinks Djokovic won’t play after this season.

He competes to try to win one more Grand Slam, but what sense does it make for a guy who has won everything? That’s why I think we are facing his last season.

Toni Nadal told ESPN Argentina

Djokovic was last seen in action at the French Open. Though Carlos Alcaraz‘s absence and Jannik Sinner‘s defeat to Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round made him the favorite to win, perhaps not many had predicted that Djokovic would end his Grand Slam drought in this tournament, where he has won three titles (lost three finals to Nadal and one to Stan Wawrinka).

They asked me before Roland Garros if I saw Djokovic to win the tournament, and I said no, but not because I didn’t value it, but because the years go by. So, when you have to play every two days and five sets, the recovery is no longer the same. The trips are not the same; you arrive a little late, and everything has an impact on your game.

Toni Nadal added

Djokovic proved all his doubters wrong when he made the final of this year’s Australian Open by defeating two-time defending champion Sinner in the semifinals. But in the final, he couldn’t go past Alcaraz.

Stan Wawrinka calls Novak Djokovic the best player in history

Stan Wawrinka is one of the few players who have defeated Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal in Grand Slam events. Wawrinka, in fact, is the only player to have beaten two members of the Big 3 in two different Majors (Australian Open 2014 and Roland-Garros 2015). He won both these Majors.

The three-time Grand Slam champion, who will retire after this season, was last seen in action at the French Open, where Jesper De Jong knocked him out in four sets in the first round. During his appearance on the First & Red podcast, Wawrinka was asked who between the Big 3 he thinks is the greatest of all time.

At the end of the day, if you look at who is the best player [in history], it is Novak Djokovic by far and the fact that he is still playing, still No 3 or No 4 in the world, he is still making finals, he has shown for so many years that he has found a way to beat all the records and win everything possible in tennis.

Djokovic will next be seen in action at Wimbledon, where he last reached the final in 2024, losing the match to Carlos Alcaraz. The 24-time Major champion lost to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the grass-court Major last year.

The last time Djokovic won a title was at the 2025 Hellenic Championships by defeating Lorenzo Musetti. The main draw of Wimbledon starts on June 29, and Sinner will be competing as the defending champion. Djokovic last won this title in 2022 (his seventh) by beating Nick Kyrgios, while his last Major was the 2023 US Open.

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