If Novak Djokovic were to put down his racket tomorrow, he would go down as the most successful male tennis player of all time, but even as he gets closer to 40, the Serbian has insisted he is not retiring anytime soon.
The last remaining member of the Big 3 continues to defy expectations, and his consistent appearances at Grand Slam semi-finals show he is not washed up either.
But, given the time and physical demands that being a top-level player requires, why is he continuing to go on? Here’s our best guesses at what is motivating Djokovic into his later years.
Money
Given he has earned $190,526,213 so far in his career, it is safe to say money is not a huge motivator for Djokovic.
He is already the player with the most prize money in tennis history, and as the likes of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal have proved, his income will not drop to zero the second he puts down the racket, but his appearance at the 6 Kings Slam does show he is not averse to a payday.
Djokovic’s great-great-great-grandkids will be financially sorted thanks to his incredible playing career but he is $9.5 million off an even $200 million, so that could play some kind of factor.
Although we think there are far bigger motivators for the Serbian.
Grand Slam No. 25
Speaking of milestones, it should not go unnoticed that Djokovic is one away from a quarter of a century of Grand Slams.
With his first all the way back in 2008, Djokovic has gone on to beat the record number of Slams held by a single player and is keen to continue.
A deep run at this year’s US Open had Djokovic admitting he was “dreaming” of a 25th title, but there have been two consistent problems for the 38-year-old – Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Four semi-finals in the Slams this year prove that Djokovic is still one of the best on the tour, but aside from the Australian Open, he was knocked out by either Sinner or Alcaraz in every Slam this year.
Those two, who are more than a decade younger than Djokovic, have a stranglehold on the Slams right now, and the reality is that Djokovic needs at least one of them to suffer an early elimination should he have any hope of another Slam.
But this is Djokovic we are talking about, and his stubbornness and belief will have him believing he can still do it.
His next chance is the Australian Open, a venue he has won 10 times, and it may be his best chance at No. 25.
The Calendar Slam
Speaking of Slams, one feat that is absent from Djokovic’s extensive résumé is the Calendar Slam.
Winning all four Slams in a single year is an achievement that eluded both Nadal and Federer, and not since Rod Laver in 1969 has the same man had his name etched on all four trophies.
Djokovic has certainly come close. In 2011 he was a French Open away from doing it, and the same trophy eluded him in 2015. Having won all three in 2021, he was let down by a US Open loss to Daniil Medvedev.
Doing so in the Alcaraz–Sinner era may be his hardest challenge yet, but this chance at history could well be what is spurring Djokovic on.
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To prove people wrong
There is nothing like spite to power you on.
At 38, there have been plenty of critics who said Djokovic should have retired by now, so is his insistence to carry on a big F U to those doubters?
Of the Big 3, Djokovic has always seemed like the one who most feeds off others’ negativity, so him wanting to prove any doubters wrong seems like a good motivation to pick up the racket every morning.
Because he can
Djokovic may have been playing professional tennis for decades now, but you are a long time retired.
In comparison to the likes of Nadal, Federer, and Andy Murray, Djokovic has not had too many major injuries, and so his reason for continuing may well be as simple as because he can.
He is known to take meticulous care of his body, making it easy to see why he has been able to continue for this long, and barring any major injury or a dramatic loss of form, Djokovic could easily be the third-best player on the planet for another few years.
Djokovic may well sense that when he hangs up his racket, a whole new life begins, so he is making the most of it while he can.
Legacy
But, aside from all the other reasons, if there was one motivation that we had to put money on being the driving force behind Djokovic, it’s legacy.
To become a top-level professional, you have to think in a way that seems alien to us mere mortals. Djokovic is one of those mentality monsters that has willed himself to become one of the best to ever do it, so it is a fair guess to say that is what is powering him on in his later years.
The 38-year-old has the titles and the money, so maybe now all that can be improved is his legacy. He may want to match Roger Federer’s retirement age of 41 or reach the 1,557 matches played by Jimmy Connors. There may be a load more milestones that Djokovic has in his mind that could be pushing him on.
Djokovic himself has said this, taking inspiration from other athletes around the world:
“Longevity is one of my biggest motivations. I really want to see how far I can go,” Djokovic said at the Joy Forum in Riyadh.
“If you see across all the global sports, LeBron James, he’s still going strong, he’s 40, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Tom Brady played till he was 40-something years old.
I mean, it’s unbelievable. They’re inspiring me as well. So I want to keep going, and that’s one of the motivations I have.”
Records and titles have already come for Djokovic but he may well want to ensure he remains the statistically best player for decades to come.
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