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Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Jannik Sinner of Italy at the net after their semi-final match during day two of the Six Kings Slam 2025 at ANB Arena on October 16, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Novak Djokovic, at age 38, has announced he has no intentions of retiring from professional tennis, drawing inspiration from other sports icons like LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Tom Brady. Speaking at the Joy Forum in Riyadh, the 24-time Grand Slam champion expressed his determination to continue playing while maintaining his competitive edge, having reached the semifinals of all four major tournaments this year and currently holding the world No.
5 ranking.Djokovic's last Grand Slam victory came in 2023, but his performance remains strong, with his 100th career title secured in Geneva this year.The Serbian champion emphasised his desire to push the boundaries of longevity in professional tennis."Longevity is one of my biggest motivations. I really want to see how far I can go," Djokovic said in Riyadh where he's playing the Six Kings Slam. "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.
"Djokovic expressed his enthusiasm about being part of tennis's future evolution and transformation.
"I want to also live to see, live meaning still keep on playing professionally, to see the change that is coming for our sport," he said. "And I'm super excited about it. I feel like tennis is a sport that can be greatly, and will be greatly transformed. I want to be part of that change. I want to be not just part of that change, but I want to be playing when we kind of rejuvenate our sport and set the new platform that is going to go on for decades to come.
"When questioned about whether younger players like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz would need to force him into retirement, Djokovic responded firmly. "I'm sorry to disappoint them, it's just not happening," he stated.
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