Novak Djokovic makes big statement of intent with comments on his 2025 schedule and longevity
Novak Djokovic has revealed he intends to play and win more tournaments in 2025 than he did last season as he expressed his desire for “more consistency.”
The tennis legend is targeting improving his ranking “to where it should be”, while he also asserted he feels he can “go strong for years to come.”
Djokovic is set to begin his 2025 campaign at the Brisbane International, an ATP 250 event which will be staged from December 29 to January 5.
The Serbian, who is the top seed, faces an opening round showdown with Australian wildcard Rinky Hijikata. He is making just his second appearance at the Brisbane tournament after a first round exit in 2009.
The 37-year-old has not played a competitive match since his defeat to world No 1 Jannik Sinner in the final of the Shanghai Masters in October.
Djokovic, who withdrew from the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals to cut his season short, currently sits seventh in the ATP Rankings having started 2024 as the world No 1.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner is seeking his 100th career ATP singles title in Brisbane. Djokovic’s only title of 2024 was his gold medal victory at the Paris Olympics.
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After arriving in Brisbane, Djokovic spoke to Tennis Australia about his early end to 2024 and looked ahead to the new season.
“I haven’t played [for] couple months any official tournaments, I finished my season quite early,” he said. “Just took some time to physically recover and get myself in the right shape and I’m excited to start the new season with a tournament before the Australian Open.
“Brisbane is a great tournament and has always been historically, attracting some top players in the world, so I look forward to hopefully getting more than one match this week (smiles).
“I’ve been working hard last month or so and, as I say, it’s going to take probably a little bit of time to get that match play going and get a sense for playing official points and getting ready.”
Djokovic has also outlined his intention to make a strong start to 2025 as he made some telling comments about his schedule and ability to keep playing.
“I’m looking for a good start to the season, I’m looking for more consistency across all the tournaments,” the Serbian proclaimed.
“I’m looking to play more tournaments this year than I played last season, so hopefully also my level is going to go up.
“Hopefully I will win a few more tournaments and my ranking will go up to where it should be.
“The way I’m feeling today, I still think that I can go strong for years to come.
“But how long I’m going to feel motivated to keep going is unpredictable. I still love this sport and I still love competing.”
Djokovic will aim to win a record-extending 11th Australian Open crown after his appearance in Brisbane.
