Novak Djokovic retirement date hinted with Nick Kyrgios behind-the-scenes conversation
Nick Kyrgios believes Novak Djokovic has less than a year of tennis in him and revealed a telling conversation they shared at Indian Wells.
After a career lasting 23 years, much thought has been given to when Djokovic may finally hang up the racket, joining Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer in retirement.
For now, the 38-year-old has kept tight-lipped on any possible exit but Kyrgios believes the most successful player in men’s game history does not have many tournaments left in him.
Speaking on the All on the Table podcast, Kyrgios revealed a conversation he had in the dressing room with Djokovic during Indian Wells that hinted he may not have long left.
“I think he’s got to be finished soon,” Kyrgios said. “Like, come on, what more? I asked him this at Indian Wells this year. We were in the locker room and I said ‘why are you here? Why are you playing?’ He just goes ‘I don’t know.’
“I go ‘what about your kids, I know you want to spend time with your family’. He said ‘yeah, I don’t know’. That was the first time I think he misses his family a lot. I stay in touch with him all the time.
“I can’t see him playing for more than another year. Not again. Not the whole year again. He is so professional. I am just speaking from my experience if I had a family like his and kids.
“It’s like Andy Murray. It’s like you play your whole career and then you retire and you don’t spend any time at home, you just go straight into coaching again. If I was his partner I would be so angry!”
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Djokovic hinted at a possible planned exit date when he spoke after his semi-final loss at Roland Garros. In his speech to the crowd, the Serbian said that it could well be his last game on the court.
“This could have been the last match ever I played here – I don’t know. That’s why it was a bit more emotional at the end. But if this was the farewell match of Roland Garros for me in my career, it was a wonderful one in terms of the atmosphere and what I got from the crowd.”
Pressed further on that he added: “I don’t know right now. Twelve months at this point in my career is quite a long time. Do I wish to play more? Yes, I do. But will I be able to play in 12 months’ time here again? I don’t know. That’s all I can say for the moment.”
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