Alexander Zverev issues Novak Djokovic warning to the chasing pack

Shahida Jacobs 14 Nov 2023 6:41 AM

Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic at the net

Alexander Zverev has bad news for those hoping that Novak Djokovic will retire in the near future and pave the way for them to have a shot at all the big titles in tennis.

Despite being on the wrong side of 35, Djokovic continues to set record after record as this year he won three Grand Slams to take his tally to a record-breaking 24 – two ahead of second-placed Rafael Nadal.

On Sunday he secured a record-extending eighth year-end No 1 ranking after beating Holger Rune in his opening match at the ATP Finals and next week he will set an astonishing record of 400 weeks at No 1 in the ATP Rankings and many believe that the 400-week milestone will never be broken.

At 36 years and seven months, some players might start thinking about retirement, but Djokovic is not one of them as he remains one of the fittest players on the ATP Tour with his emotional, mental and physical routines known for being the best in the business.

Zverev knows there will be no let up from the Serbian over the next few years as he admitted that it is unlikely that Djokovic will call it quits any time soon.

“I think he’s a player that takes care of his body the best out of everybody,” the German said.

“I think he goes through his rituals pretty much every single day. He takes care of himself, and that’s his number one priority above everything else. I think he’s done extremely well doing that over the last few years.

“I think he’s 36 years old, but he looks like he’s 26, 27. He might be in even better shape than he was 10 years ago. It doesn’t really even seem that he looks like he’s going to stop.”

Novak Djokovic’s brilliance after the age of 30

For context, Djokovic has won 50 per cent of his 24 Grand Slams since turning 30 and holds the record of 12. Serena Williams is the only other player to win 10 majors in her 30s.

The tennis great has won four Australian Opens, four Wimbledon titles, two French Open crowns and two US Open titles since his 30th birthday in May 2017.

He also became the oldest US Open men’s singles champion in the Open Era, at 36 years and 111 days, when he won this year’s title at Flushing Meadows and already holds the record for the oldest year-end No 1.