Novak Djokovic sent ‘tennis death’ warning after recent injury struggles

Oli Dickson Jefford 08 Mar 2025 10:51 AM

Novak Djokovic reacts during his match in Doha

Novak Djokovic has been warned that he cannot “cheat time” and avoid his “tennis death” by former ATP Tour star Dmitry Tursunov.

Djokovic has so far faced a mixed 2025 season, beating Carlos Alcaraz in a memorable Australian Open quarter-final victory before retiring injured against Alexander Zverev in the last four.

That was the fifth straight Grand Slam tournament not won by Djokovic, and 2024 proved to be the first season since 2017 that the Serbian did not lift at least one major title.

The Serbian was then beaten 7-6(4), 6-2 by Matteo Berrettini at the Qatar Open last month – his first, and to date only, match since his Australian Open exit.

Dealing with injury issues has proven a significant challenge for Djokovic over the past year, and things are unlikely to get any easier for the 24-time Grand Slam champion, with his 38th birthday looming in May.

Now, the former world No 1 has been warned that the end of his career could be coming sooner rather than later.

Speaking to SportKlub, former world No 20 Tursunov – a past coach of Emma Raducanu and Aryna Sabalenka, among others – claimed that Djokovic’s toughest “opponent” was now his body.

“His own body is now his greatest opponent,” said Tursunov. “No matter how he plans to cheat time, ‘tennis death’ will await him.

“Of course, he still has the motivation to play at the highest level, but in tennis, you lose the feeling of immortality much faster than in other sports. Previous achievements are quickly forgotten.”

Djokovic starts his Indian Wells campaign on Saturday against Botic van de Zandschulp, who progressed to round two after Nick Kyrgios retired injured in their opening-round match.

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Van de Zandschulp famously defeated Alcaraz at the US Open in 2024, though Djokovic is still a significant favourite to win their second-round contest in the desert.

However, Tursunov believes the 37-year-old could struggle should he go on to face world No 3 and second seed Alcaraz in their projected quarter-final.

Djokovic defeated the Spaniard in their last two meetings, at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and 2025 Australian Open – though Alcaraz is the two-time defending champion in Indian Wells.

Tursunov added: “Djokovic is in a very difficult situation; his chances are slim if he faces Carlos Alcaraz.”

World No 7 Djokovic is the sixth seed in Indian Wells and is one of the most successful players in the tournament’s history, with a joint-record five men’s singles titles to his name.

However, the Serbian has not won the title since 2016 and did not play in the tournament between 2019 and 2024.

On his return last year, Djokovic defeated Aleksandar Vukic in his opening match before a shock loss to lucky loser Luca Nardi in the third round.