Novak Djokovic’s father believes he son should have retired a long time ago and hopes he will hang up his racket next year alongside Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic, 36, lost the Wimbledon final to world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz, 20, earlier this month with the ‘big three’ era of tennis finally approaching an end.
Roger Federer called time on his career in September while Nadal has confirmed that 2024 is likely to be his final year on the ATP Tour before retirement.
Djokovic, who holds the record for the most Grand Slam men’s singles titles and most weeks spent as world No.1 in history, admits that he is unsure how long he will continue playing.
‘I think for some time that he should have stopped working this extremely difficult job,’ Srdjan Djokovic said in a new documentary about the Serbian legend.
‘As far as my wishes for him go, he has already fulfilled them all seven [to] eight years ago. 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.
‘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.’
Djokovic’s mother Dijan added: ‘It’s all up to him… As far as I’m concerned, he can retire right now – he has won everything.’
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