Novak Djokovic’s candid comments reveal how close he may be to retirement

The end came for me on New Year’s Day, 2011 – and it came on a toilet at The Hawthorns. It wasn’t the way I’d have chosen to finish, but I knew for certain that this was my last game. After 18 years at Manchester United, after 602 first-team appearances, I was in the middle of playing for my team for the last time – Gary Neville.

The reflections of former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville highlighted the sudden nature of a realisation that his time was up at the highest level of professional football.

For some, the end comes suddenly and that certainly seems to have been the case for Neville, who had played through a miserable first half in a Premier League game against West Bromwich Albion.

Other sporting greats don’t experience that bolt of realisation, as their path towards the end of a sporting journey is a little more gradual.

That certainly appears to be the story for tennis icon Novak Djokovic, who made some telling comments after he won his first match at this year’s French Open.

Djokovic got the defence of his Roland Garros title off to a solid if unspectacular start with a straight-sets win over French wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

The world No 1 said he arrived at Roland Garros with “low expectations and high hopes” after suffering some chastening defeats this year.

The crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier probably felt much the same about their man’s chances, with Herbert a lowly 142 in the rankings.

And so it transpired, as an underwhelming night-session match went the way of the 24-time Grand Slam champion 6-4 7-6 (3) 6-4.

For the first time since he became a champion, there were real doubts over Djokovic heading into his opening match against Herbert, with his form in recent months fuelling the narrative that the player who has won it all is struggling to motivate himself to push for more.

READ MORE: Novak Djokovic still hasn’t found what he’s looking for despite French Open win

Djokovic’s former coach Goran Ivanisevic admitted the Serbian superstar is running out of fuel to fight for more titles and while Novak has hinted at motivation issues in previous press conferences, he spoke for the first time about a shift in his emotions on court in 2024.

He was asked in his press conference whether he enjoyed his time on court against Herbert and his response said much about his mentality to events outside of the four Grand Slams.

“Honestly, here, (he enjoyed it) much more than any other tournament this year, except the Australian Open,” he confessed.

“Even Australia was kind of a bit of an uphill battle of how I was feeling on court.

“This is only one match here so I have to see how I progress in the tournament and how the feeling evolves, but it was good.

“I was fist-pumping, I was focused, I was there and present. I was pleased with my mindset on the court.

“Where are you going to feel that way if not in Grand Slams? It’s something I’ve been saying since the beginning of the year. Grand Slams are basically getting me up from the bed every day and hitting the practice courts. Hopefully, I can have a deep run here.”

They were comments that confirmed motivation for more success has become Djokovic’s biggest rival in the final stages of his career and like Neville, it may not take too many more defeats for the 37-year-old to retire to a very different life with his wife Jelena and their young family.

The outcome of this year’s French Open and Wimbledon are likely to be hugely significant for Djokovic and if he were to suffer earlier than expected defeats in both events, his future in the sport would have to be a huge doubt.

The feelings he referred to in his press conference did not need to be spoken about for the world to appreciate them, as Djokovic has looked disinterested in recent defeats in Indian Wells, Rome and Geneva.

Players he would have dismissed with ease in his prime are now daring to believe there is a threshold that Djokovic will no longer reach for when the going gets tough.

Of course, he could still have it in him to bounce back and turn the water he is serving up on the court right now into vintage wine once again.

However, this iconic story could go the other way in double quick time if more defeats give Djokovic the signal that his desire to continue in tennis has gone.