Former Serbian tennis star Radmilo Armenulic predicted Novak Djokovic’s retirement saying that he will play for another one or two years.
With Roger Federer already retired and 2024 being Rafael Nadal’s last year in competitive tennis, Djokovic remains the only one from the “Big Three”.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion recently lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon 2023 final where his 14-match winning streak at the centre court also came to an end.
“It's hard to end a career, I know. I hope he will feel for himself when he should end his career. Nadal is sure to finish because he has a problem with his hips, Federer is already retired, so only Novak remains from the three," said Armenulic on Djokovic’s future.
"He must be thinking now that he should finish, but I think he will play for another year or two. He will judge for himself when he sees that he lacks 10 or 15 centimetres to reach the ball, that he no longer has the necessary shot moment...
“He will decide for himself and say, ‘I've played enough, I don't want to be chased around the field by kids and lose matches that I would normally win’ and make decisions," he further added.
It must be noted that Novak withdrew from the ongoing Canadian Open as he is fully focused on the US Open which starts in August.
"I have always enjoyed my stay in Canada, but after talking to my team, we believe this is the right decision to make,” Djokovic said.
Djokovic surpassed Rafael Nadal with the most Grand Slam titles to his name in June after clinching Roland Garros in Paris.
Djokovic’s 23 Grand Slam titles consist of 10x Australian Open, 7x Wimbledon, 3x US Open and 3x Roland Garros.
He is also the only player in tennis men’s history to win all four majors on at least three occasions.
The 36-year-old now has his eyes on the upcoming US Open as he is willing to extend his Grand Slam tally to 24 titles but he will have to face tough competition from Alcaraz.