Novak Djokovic retirement prediction made as Andy Murray coaching hire is rated by former world No 8

Ewan West 07 Jan 2025 5:48 PM

Novak Djokovic hits a forehand during a practice session

John Isner has dismissed the prospect of Novak Djokovic retiring from tennis in 2025 as he feels the legendary Serb is “absolutely motivated.”

The former world No 8 also described Andy Murray as a “great hire” for Djokovic as he backed the Brit to bring “a great deal of tactical advice” in his coaching role.

In his first tournament of the 2025 season, Djokovic was upset by Reilly Opelka in the quarter-finals.

The 37-year-old will aim to win his 11th Australian Open title and 25th Grand Slam crown at the 2025 edition of the Melbourne major, which will begin on Sunday.

Ahead of his appearance in Brisbane, Djokovic outlined his intention to play more regularly this year and expressed confidence in his ability to continue competing.

“I’m looking to play more tournaments this year than I played last season, so hopefully also my level is going to go up,” the world No 7 said.

“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.”

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Djokovic’s only title of 2024 was his sensational gold medal victory at the Paris Olympics, while his most recent Grand Slam triumph was at the 2023 US Open.

Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, Isner suggested Djokovic could play until he is 40, although he feels a significant ranking drop could influence the Serb’s motivation to continue.

“I would like to see if Djokovic can win another Grand Slam,” the American said. “If he still has tricks up his sleeve, we’ll see if he can use them. He is absolutely motivated.

“I do not believe that Novak will retire from tennis this year. When he won the gold medal in Paris last summer, he said that he would not mind playing at the next one, in Los Angeles in 2028.

“He still wants to achieve amazing things and maybe play until he is 40. We all know that he takes a lot of care of his body.

“On the other hand, if he drops to No 25 in the world, he might start thinking about retirement.”

The 16-time ATP title winner also discussed Djokovic’s surprise move to appoint his former rival Andy Murray as his coach.

“I think it’s a great hire from Djokovic because he is trying to find something new to motivate him,” Isner added.

“Murray is going to bring a great deal of tactical advice to Novak’s camp, he is a fantastic tennis mind but to me, it’s more than that.

“It’s someone in the box who Novak respects so much that he is not going to get angry at all to Andy in the box, so it’s going to keep him centred mentally on court.

“Murray was the best because he was able to compete and win Slams with not as much weaponry as Djokovic, [Roger] Federer, and [Rafael] Nadal so he had to think his way through each and every match.

“He is going to add a lot of insight there but for me it’s just someone to look up to, stay focused, not get frustrated on the court.”