THE END? Serbia's Novak Djokovic speaks during a press conference after retiring from his men's singles semi-final match against Germany's Alexander Zverev on day thirteen of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 24, 2025. Picture: David Gray/ AFP
Image: David Gray/AFP
As Novak Djokovic crashed out of the Australian Open in his semi-final against Alexander Zverev, it begs the question - will the legendary Serb ever be back again in Melbourne?
Though he has won the most grand slams in the men’s game with his tally of 24, he has not won one since 2023.
At the age of 37, time is also certainly not on his side.
Lending credence to that theory is that he was forced to retire after one set in his semi on Friday.
Tennis is probably one of the most gruelling, endurance sports out there and once a player’s body begins to battle with injuries it’s always difficult to keep competing.
Just ask Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer as they went through the same thing. When players get to a certain age (it’s different for everyone), there comes a time when the body begins to break down more and more often regardless of their standing in the game.
In fact, Andy Murray who coaches Djokovic will know better than most as he battled with injury for a good portion of his career.
It’s simply unavoidable given the physical nature of the sport, and there’s no disputing that to compete at the highest level, players need to be extremely physically fit athletes.
Asked if this Australia would be his last after he bowed out on Friday, Djokovic said: “I don’t know. There is a chance. Who knows? I’ll just have to see how the season goes.
“I want to keep going. But whether I’m going to have a revised schedule or not for the next year, I’m not sure.”
Whether Djokovic will be back at the Australian Open in 2026, only time will tell.
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