Novak Djokovic reveals if he will go out on a high if he wins 25th Slam and title No 100 at same event
Novak Djokovic has won all there is to win in tennis, but the all-time great insists he still has the fire in his belly to notch up more milestones.
Back in 2023, Djokovic set a new record for most Grand Slams won by a male as he extended his record to 24 with his success at the US Open.
Not long after his Flushing Meadows achievement, he became the first player – man or woman – to reach 400 weeks at No 1 in the rankings having previously surpassed Roger Federer’s record of 310 weeks at the top in 2021.
In 2024 he joined the exclusive club of players to complete the Career Golden Slam when he beat Carlos Alcaraz in the gold medal singles match at the Paris Olympics and that also took his ATP Tour title tally to 99.
But he has been stuck on 99 ever since as trophy No 100 has eluded him so far while he has also missed out on Grand Slam No 25 as he has come up short in the five majors he has played in since his 2023 Flushing Meadows success.
There had been talk that he lost his motivation after his Paris Games success, but Djokovic is still going strong.
When asked if he wins his 100th ATP Tour title and a record-extending 25th Grand Slam at the same time, he told ESPN’s Simon Cambers: “No, I don’t think so. You never know. Let’s see. I still feel like I have some gas left in the tank.
“I feel like, as I have proven, you know, in Australia and Miami, that I can still play on a high level. And that gives me still satisfaction to be on the court and compete.
“I know that there’s a group of people that thinks that I should leave tennis on a high, which I understand.
“A lot of people thought that I should call it quits after a gold medal last year. But let’s see what the future brings.
“Of course, I’d love to win. If you tell me I’ll win my 100th title in any of the Slams this year, I’ll sign right away. But it’s a big mountain to climb, so, be a bit more humble about it, and hope for the best.”
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Djokovic reached the semi-final of the Australian Open at the start of the year, but he was forced to retire from his match against Alexander Zverev due to a hamstring injury.
He then finished runner-up at the Miami Open a fortnight ago as he lost in straight sets against Czech teenager Jakub Mensik.
Next up is the Monte Carlo Masters before he heads to Spain for the Madrid Open and that will be followed by the Italian Open.
If he doesn’t win any of the three Masters titles, he will get a chance to complete the 100th title-25th Grand Slam double at the French Open or Wimbledon.
His schedule is a lot busier this year than in 2024 when he opted to skip several high-profile events as he wanted to spend more time with his family.
Being constantly on the road when you have two young children – Stefan is 10 and Tara is 7 – remains a challenge.
“I’m trying to have the balancing act as I go along,” he said. “When I say ‘balancing act,’ what I mean is to really find a nice equilibrium between professional life and private life, and to be content with what I’m doing and how I’m doing it and still be able to motivate myself to keep going, not just on tournaments, but also practice weeks, day after day.
“There is no doubt that it became more difficult [to get motivated] than it was throughout my career.”
