Novak Djokovic has said he does not pay much attention to people asking him to retire from tennis, although he admits that the end of his career is approaching. The 39-year-old Serbian star says he still believes he can compete at the highest level and wants to enjoy playing for as long as possible.
Djokovic, who has won 24 Grand Slam singles titles, addressed the retirement talk in an interview with Serbian website Sportal. He was asked whether suggestions that he should leave the sport make him angry.
“Oh well, everything is there. As long as there are people, there will be speculation.
“It’s in people’s nature, and it’s not only here, but everywhere. People like to criticise, to judge, with insufficient information, but that’s not something I’m used to. I don’t pay attention. I’m not angry about that, I’m angry about some other things. Some much bigger things make me angry.”
His comments come as he prepares to compete at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, Switzerland, with questions about his future continuing to follow his career.
Novak Djokovic admits retirement is getting closer
Djokovic has continued to compete against younger players despite being in the later stages of his career. He won the China Open in Beijing earlier in October, claiming his first title of the 2026 season and the 102nd trophy of his career.
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However, his last Grand Slam title came at the 2023 US Open. He reached the Australian Open final in 2026, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz, and also made the Wimbledon semi-finals before losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
The Serbian has previously spoken about retirement and acknowledged that he has started thinking about life beyond professional tennis.
Speaking at Fanatics Fest in New York in July, Djokovic said he still felt capable of competing with the best players but understood that his time on the tour would not last forever.
“I’m still feeling I can compete at the highest level, and the results are there. I can still stay a little bit active here and there (smiles), but yeah, the moment is approaching. There’s no question it’s closer than ever,” Djokovic said.
He also referred to comments from former tennis star Andre Agassi, who discussed Djokovic’s retirement in the documentary Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter.
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Andre Agassi shares his thoughts on Novak Djokovic’s retirement
Agassi said he hoped Djokovic would not wait too long before ending his career, pointing to the time and effort professional tennis demands from players.
“I don’t know when the end will come for Novak, but the one thing I can say is that the end, when it does come always comes fast,” Agassi said.
“I would hope for him that he doesn’t wait for too long, not because he can’t win anymore, but because Tennis takes your childhood. But then it gives you a chance to be done with your success so that you can raise your children without the preoccupations.”
Djokovic agreed that retirement could arrive sooner than expected but said there was no simple way to decide when to stop playing.
“Of course, I would lie if I don’t have those thoughts. I do have them. And I don’t know if there’s a perfect way .”
He added that some athletes choose to leave while they are still winning, while others stop because their bodies can no longer cope or because they can no longer compete at the same level.
“So I’m still just trying to enjoy myself competing. I’m there, and we’ll have this conversation later.”
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