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In a new documentary tittle ‘Novak’, the Serbian maestro’s father, Srdjan, has called on his son to retire from tennis. With 23 Grand Slam titles to his name, Novak has achieved enough in the sport and should now focus on his family.
‘Novak’, follows the former world number one’s career from his early days as a promising junior player to his current status as one of the greatest players of all time. He has more ATP titles than any of his peers or those who came before him, and his prize winnings are substantial as well.
Djokovic earned everything ‘seven/eight years ago’
Srdjan suggests that it is time Djokovic follows in the footsteps of Roger Federer and hangs up his boots. After achieving everything there is on the court, it could be time for him to move on.
“As far as my wishes for him go, he has already fulfilled them all seven/eight years ago,” said Srdjan Djokovic in the documentary.
“The rest is this amazing bonus, tennis is only one segment of his life, not his whole life. I expect him to be recognised for the things he will do after his career ends as well, after he leaves the tennis world, which I hope it will happen next year. And for Novak to slowly but surely… it’s not the end, but in a year-and-a-half let’s say.
“My wish as a father – I think for some time that he should have stopped working this extremely difficult job. It’s physically and mentally challenging and very demanding – with him being fully dedicated for 30 years, and not taking his foot off the gas, there is not much time for other things in life.”
He added: “Perhaps a new chapter awaits Novak. We will see what the New Year brings. He could choose to understand that running after records serves no purpose in life and that it is time to do something else. And I think it is time for Novak to realize this.”
Novak Djokovic’s dad hopes 2024 is his last season:
“As far as my wishes for him go, he already fulfilled them all 7 or 8 years ago… I expect him to be recognized for the things he will do after after he leaves the tennis world as well, which I hope will happen next year” pic.twitter.com/mjy1BM89Ij
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 26, 2023
End of 2023 crucial for Djokovic
Similar sentiments were shared by Novak’s mother, Dijana. Believing her son can still fight at the upper echelons of tennis, she has left the decision to him. For her, her son has already achieved everything there is.
However, after meeting his match Carlos Alacaraz in the Wimbledon finals, it remains to be seen how the uber-competitive Serb reacts. He took an extended leave of absence from the court, preferring to stay away from the Toronto Open to recoup after his All England Club adventures.
The 36-year-old will now turn up in Cincinnati for the ATP 1000 Masters event. With only three triumphs at the event, it is one of the major events where he has only triumphed thrice, his least successful venue alongside the French Open.
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