Novak Djokovic has been pretty vocal about his failing body. After withdrawing from the Australian Open, he told the media, “This is probably the new reality I have to accept—that my body will probably betray me more often than it has throughout my entire career.” Even now, after his round 1 US Open 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2 win over Learner Tien, he couldn’t help but think about the age difference between himself and his opponent, making it clear that he has to take things a little slower now.

At the post-match interview, when the reporter asked him about the things he is most proud of now that he is not as young, “To be quite honest with you, I mean, I wish I had Learner Tien’s age. But that’s not possible. Actually, he’s double less my age. That’s incredible. But I guess when you come to the late 30s, it’s really about learning how to preserve the energy for what matters… So, I’m trying to dedicate as much time as I possibly can [for recovery], and still kind of balance it with the mental freshness and motivation and sharpness in the court that is necessary in order to compete with the young guys.” 

He acknowledged that he still had the flare and the drive he had decades ago. But he also knows the limitations of his age. Djokovic continued, “So, hopefully, I can keep it going. You know, I still wanna compete. And hopefully, you guys are enjoying my tennis.”   

For the unversed, Tien is 19 years old (will be 20 this December). And the Serbian? He’s 38 years old. This is the age when the body starts to slow down. Recovery is slower, and the risk of injury becomes higher. In fact, just before the third set began, he had to take a medical timeout, which turned out to be a sort of blessing in disguise.

Because he came back refreshed, racing on to a 5-1 lead. And while Tien responded well, breaking him for 5-2, it wasn’t long before the veteran wrapped up the match to maintain his perfect record of winning Grand Slam opening rounds since 2006. But nearing the age of 40 is a pretty prompt sign for the star to think of retirement. 

Well, that’s not true for Djokovic. He still has some aspirations. 

Novak Djokovic plans on continuing to compete in Grand Slams

Novak Djokovic lost the chance to win his 25th Grand Slam trophy at Wimbledon as he lost a rather one-sided semifinal to Jannik Sinner. Following this, speculations about Djokovic’s retirement began to rise. And when a reporter asked if this was the Serbian’s if he’d be sad if it was his final appearance at Centre Court, he came up with a prompt response. 

Djokovic stated, “I would be sad, but hopefully it’s not my last match on Centre Court. I’m not planning to finish my Wimbledon career today. I’m planning to come back definitely at least one more time, play on the Centre Court for sure. I’ve put everything I possibly can when it comes to training and preparing myself so I can play my best at Grand Slams. I think, regardless of the fact that I haven’t won a Grand Slam this year, or last year, I still feel like I continue to play my best tennis at Grand Slams.”

For now, Novak Djokovic has openly declared that he’d be focusing all of his energy on Grand Slams, clarifying that he isn’t a big fan of the two-week Masters 1000 events either. With almost no time to recover between events, Djokovic has no choice but to prioritize. For now, he has set his eyes on the US Open. To follow his run in New York, stay tuned to EssentiallySports’ live blog of the US Open.