John McEnroe has given his verdict on when he thinks Novak Djokovic could retire from professional tennis.
Djokovic is a record 24-time Grand Slam champion, but he has not won a major title since the 2023 US Open.
Now at 39 years old, there is more speculation than ever about when he could retire from tennis, which was only heightened after Djokovic lost in the first round of the US Open this year.
McEnroe believes that Djokovic could be closing in on his career coming to an end, as he revealed what he thinks the Serbian should now do.
Pick a sport you want Novak Djokovic to play when he retires from tennis!
Could you imagine him doing any of these? 😂
John McEnroe believes there is a ‘strong possibility’ Novak Djokovic retires next year
McEnroe discussed Djokovic’s future in tennis in the latest edition of the ‘Off Court with Greg Rusedski‘ podcast, as he claimed that he should do what makes him happy first and foremost. However, when making a prediction about what he thinks Djokovic will do, McEnroe stated his belief that there is a ‘strong possibility’ that he will retire next year.
“I just don’t know what he is going to do, honestly,” said McEnroe. “Whatever makes him happy is what he should do. Pete Sampras won the US Open and he never played again. You would say that is a great way to go out, unbelievable. But it turns out he was only 31. He did not think that three guys would go past him for Grand Slam titles in Novak, Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal].
“He can look back now and go why did I stop then? Maybe I could have won more. That’s what Novak is facing. He got to the finals of Australia and he’s thinking maybe I could win one, I want 25. You could hardly blame him, if he gets to the finals and beats Sinner and wins the first set against Carlos Alcaraz. The guy is incredible.
“Time has gone by and now we’re like first round defeat, of course he should retire, because he lost first round. But name the last athlete that went out the way he wants to go out. It’s almost impossible. It seems like it’s going to be soon. Is it going to be next year? You would think that is a strong possibility. But we will have to wait and see.”
Despite McEnroe’s belief that next year could be the last year of Djokovic’s career, previous comments suggest that will not be the case. Djokovic has consistently stated his desire to compete at the LA Olympics in 2028, when he would be 41 years old.
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