Novak Djokovic's body is beginning to suffer from wear and tear and time, although the Serbian legend has always treated it in the best possible way.
The former world No.1 has had more injuries in the last two seasons and has repeatedly found himself competing not to the best of his ability in the decisive stages of Grand Slam tournaments. He is perfectly aware that Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are superior right now, but he doesn't want to give up and believes he can still give something to tennis before starting a new chapter in his life.
The 38-year-old from Belgrade is preparing with extreme commitment for the start of next season, having already set the Adelaide ATP 250 as the ideal tournament to get into the rhythm ahead of the Australian Open. The first Major of the new year will start a week later than usual and will already be an important test to understand the ambitions of Nole, who has literally made history at Melbourne Park by triumphing on ten occasions.
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Novak has a different mentality
Several experts and former players are convinced that if he realizes that he is no longer competitive enough at the highest level Novak could decide to end his career at the end of 2026 (although he has reiterated his desire to go on until the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics).
In a recent interview with 'Tennis Actu', former French ace Guy Forget shared his honest opinion on Djokovic's future prospects: "He can no longer stress his body like he did in the past due to age and wear and tear. He has to be very careful about the recovery phase and there are many small discomforts that affect him. His motivation is still good and if he continues to play he does it because he thinks he can win important titles.
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I don't think he goes to Australia with the aim of reaching a semi-final. His chances are not very high, but his champion mentality allows him to believe that it is not an impossible feat."
