Andy Roddick has questioned Novak Djokovic’s future after labelling the Serb’s 2025 season as both ‘impressive’ and ‘disappointing’, given the Serb’s current goals and age.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion reached the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams this season, but was unable to collect a set in any of the matches.
As a result of his consistent performances, Djokovic ended the season ranked as the world No 4.
His ranking was also aided by two ATP 250 titles, one in Geneva (defeating Hubert Hurkacz) and the other in Athens (defeating Lorenzo Musetti).
However, Djokovic has made no secret that his main goal for the remainder of his career is to win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.
Roddick, who won the 2003 US Open, weighed in with his analysis of Djokovic’s aims for 2026.
“At this stage of the last four, it feels like he can turn on and off being a top-three or four player in the world. That’s Novak Djokovic, right?” the American began on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast.
“How do we judge this year against his career? Any year where he doesn’t win a major is probably disappointing for him. And this year was insane to watch.
“He was basically a part-time tennis player who was still the third-best player in the world. It’s a joke. It’s unbelievably impressive.
“Carlos Alcaraz didn’t play unbelievably well at Wimbledon this year either – at least not by his own absurd standards. We judge him against his own shadow now.
“He’s already an all-time great and the world No. 1, but a couple of small things shift and suddenly Novak’s path looks different.”
Indeed, Djokovic has defied all of the standard norms of what a 38-year-old tennis player can achieve, but – as comes to almost every athlete – the impact of age has been on display more than ever over the last 12 months.
At the Australian Open, the Serb injured his hamstring, which forced him to retire from his semi-final clash against Alexander Zverev after losing the first set 7-6(5) – setting back his preparation for subsequent tournaments.
During his last-eight match at Wimbledon, against Flavio Cobolli, Djokovic jarred his hip before clinching the victory.
However, the slip – which the former world No 1 attributed to ‘wear and tear ‘ – meant that he was severely compromised against Jannik Sinner in the semi-final.
Whilst his body appears to be declining, both Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner are slowly entering their prime years, and will , likely, only improve over the remainder of Djokovic’s career.
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“That’s the whole thing. After the US Open, Novak openly questioned whether he can train the way he used to,” added Roddick.
“You can’t train that psychotically — and I mean that as a compliment — at 38 years old,” Roddick said.
“And if you can’t train that way, then can your body hold up over two weeks, best-of-five sets, at a major? This year, by his own admission, the answer was no.
“He said that he doesn’t know if his body will hold up. That when he reaches a Grand Slam semifinal, he doesn’t know if he can win if his body is already exhausted.
“That’s the most important question of this conversation.”
Djokovic is due to begin his 2026 season at the ATP 250 event in Adelaide, January 12 – 17, and will look to gain crucial match preparation before the Melbourne Grand Slam.
Jon Werthiem, the co-host of Roddick’s podcast and a regular contributor to the Tennis Channel, agreed with much of the former world No 1’s assessment, but added that Djokovic will ‘like’ the challenge of having to overcome both his body and rivals.
“He really likes this challenge,” Werthiem said.
“Some people are like I have to get up, I used to win these majors, now I have to go through these.
“I think he loves this challenge of bending time. Knowing him a little bit, you sense that anyway, but talking to people who were very close to him.
“ I think the great ones always find something, sometimes it is completely concocted, sometimes it’s a legitimate rival. I think he loves this challenge of can I outflank time? I think he is leaning into that.”
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