Novak Djokovic has revealed that he doesn’t “make plans long-term anymore” as he discussed his plans for the rest of the 2025 season.
World No 5 Djokovic is back in action at the Shanghai Masters this week, with the tennis great playing his opening match against long-time rival Marin Cilic on Friday at the Masters 1000 event.
The Serbian is making his first appearance on tour since his US Open semi-final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz earlier in September, and his Shanghai campaign came as somewhat of a surprise, with the 38-year-old not initially appearing on the tournament’s promotional poster.
Djokovic was a runner-up to Jannik Sinner at the tournament twelve months ago, and holds a record four titles in Shanghai.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has spoken openly in recent seasons about his plans to prioritise the tournament’s largest events, spending more time away from the sport with his family and resting his body.
Djokovic reached the semi-final of all four Grand Slam tournaments in 2025 and won his 100th career title in Geneva, in what has arguably been a more consistent season than his 2024 campaign.
With 4,190 points won already this season, the 38-year-old is well-placed to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin, an event where he has won a record seven titles across his career.
However, after winning back-to-back titles at the year-end championships in 2022 and 2023, Djokovic did not play the event in 2024 despite qualifying.
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And, it is possible that the Serbian could once again choose to skip the event in 2025.
Asked about his plans following the conclusion of Shanghai, the former world No 1 admitted he was undecided about the ATP Finals, and that the Hellenic Championships in Athens was the only event he was officially committed to playing.
“You asked me about Turin,” said Djokovic.
“Yeah, it is a tournament where I had quite a bit of success in the last years, I won it two times, and, you know, hopefully I can be back, let’s see.
“I don’t make plans long-term anymore. I’ve said that, I said that in New York [the US Open].
“So after Shanghai, the only tournament I know I’m going to play is the one in Athens, and then let’s see if I play Turin or not, I’m not sure yet.”
Djokovic’s comments all but confirm that he will not be in action at the Paris Indoors, the final Masters 1000 event of the 2025 season — where he has a record seven titles to his name.
Action at the Hellenic Championships in Athens, which has taken over the event previously held in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, will take place in early November, the week after Paris and the week before the ATP Finals in Turin.
Djokovic and his family, wife Jelena and children Stefan and Tara, are now living in Athens, with the 38-year-old set to use the Greek capital as his long-term base once he retires from tennis.
The Serbian’s family have not travelled to Shanghai, though Djokovic revealed that his wife and children remain his key supporters from afar.
He added: “Well my son, he plays tennis more and so he follows what’s going on. He was really insisting on traveling with me to China.
“He wants to travel with me everywhere, but he has to do school, and it’s not that simple. But he’s really in love with tennis and the sport.
“My kids and my wife are, you know, my biggest supporters, and obviously when they are in the stadium you’ve seen them, how they support, how passionately they care about and play with me every single point.
“So, of course, me seeing them on the stands, you know, it’s even more inspirational. I love to have them. But at the same time, you know, the kids cannot live daddy’s life, they have to live their own life.
“I try to support them and be there for them. Whether they feel like I have, yeah, they believe in me. They feel like, you know, they look at me as the best always.
“And so they, when I’m kind of down on myself, they remind me of the things that I have accomplished and why they still believe that I can do it. So their support is very meaningful to me.”
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