Novak Djokovic’s imminent retirement date floated by respected tennis voice

Kevin Palmer
Novak Djokovic's future under the spotlight
Novak Djokovic's future under the spotlight

Novak Djokovic’s shock defeat at the hands of Alejandro Tabilo has sparked a fresh debate over his future in tennis after a shocking performance in a 6-2 6-3 defeat against Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo in Rome.

The underdog took just 67 minutes to beat Djokovic, who claimed after the match that he felt unsteady on court two days after he was accidentally struck in the head by a bottle following his first match against Corentin Moutet.

“I think in the video you saw it very clearly,” Djokovic said after his defeat to Tabilo.

“It was a very unfortunate, unlucky situation for me. It was an accident where that guy leaned over the fence, and the bottle dropped from his rucksack and landed directly on my head.

“It was unexpected obviously. I wasn’t even looking up. Then I felt a very strong hit in the head. That has, yeah, really impacted me a lot. Been through half an hour, an hour of nausea, dizziness, blood, a lot of different things.

“I managed to sleep okay. I had headaches. The next day was pretty fine, so I thought it was okay. Maybe it is okay. Maybe it’s not.

“I mean, the way I felt on the court today was just completely like a different player entered into my shoes. Just no rhythm, no tempo, no balance whatsoever on any shot.

“It’s a bit concerning. I didn’t do any scans or any tests. Right now, I feel like I should do it, so I will do it and let’s see. Let’s see what’s happening.”

While the bottle incident may have played a part in Djokovic’s latest disappointing performance, the manner of his loss will inevitably spark some debate over his motivation to continue in the sport.

READ MORE: Every word from a worrying Novak Djokovic press conference after Italian Open drubbing

His now former coach Goran Ivanisevic confirmed Djokovic has been struggling with motivation after winning so much in his illustrious career, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion admitting he is no longer driven by anything other than Grand Slam tournaments.

That has inspired Tennis Channel expert Mark Petchey to float the idea that Djokovic may retire after this summer’s Olympic Games.

An Olympic gold medal is the final prize missing from Djokovic’s collection of accolades and he has prioritised success at this summer’s Games in in Paris.

“Anyone else getting a Paris Olympics massive push for the one thing Novak doesn’t have and then Au Revoir to tennis?” wrote Andy Murray’s former coach Petchey on X.

“Starting to get Sampras 2002 vibes. Still have him in the favourite category for RG and Wimbledon but to be this great for so long takes incredible sacrifice.”

Petchey was referring to the final days of Pete Sampras’ reign as the top player in men’s tennis, with his ambition to continue in the sport waning after he won his 13th Grand Slam title in 2000 at Wimbledon, surpassing what was then Roy Emerson’s all-time record for major tournament wins.

Of course, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic have sailed past that mark in recent years as all of them have won 20 Grand Slams or more, with the three icons of this tennis era also recognised as the greatest trio to ever play the game.

Djokovic has achieved it all in the sport and the question that he may be asking himself is does he need any more if he does achieve his dream of winning Olympic gold in singles later this year.

Time will tell whether Petchey’s question becomes reality, but his comparison with the end of the Sampras era are hard to dispute.

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