Djokovic thinks about hanging up his racket

France's Novak Djokovic is wondering when he will retire, after learning Rafael Nadal could retire from tennis in 2024.

In an interview ahead of the first round of Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic expressed regret that his rival Rafael Nadal would be absent due to injury. The Serbian admitted he was shocked to learn that Nadal would play his final season in 2024.

Djokovic and Nadal in the quarter-final match of Roland Garros 2022, where the "King of Clay" won in four sets. Photo: ATP

"It definitely makes me wonder about myself," Djokovic said when asked about the impact of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's retirement. "I'm wondering where I am, what the end of my career will be and how. We all know it will happen. Nadal has to face it with injuries, age, the number of years he's played, and all that."

Djokovic said he is questioning his future. The 35-year-old has had a difficult season. He has not won a title since winning the Australian Open. In addition to not competing because he has not been vaccinated against Covid-19, Djokovic has also suffered from injuries and a decline in fitness and form.

The world number three had nothing on clay before arriving at Roland Garros. He lost early in Monte-Carlo, was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Srpska Open, withdrew from the Madrid Open with elbow pain, before losing in the quarter-finals of the Rome Masters. Along the way, Djokovic was beaten by twenty-somethings Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune.

"I want to get my hands on the title, I want to beat the best. But you never know when you're competing at this level. It's really fierce," Djokovic added.

Djokovic enters Roland Garros as the third seed, behind Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvdev – juniors who are in good form on clay. Djokovic has won Roland Garros twice, in 2016 and 2021. He and Stan Wawrinka are the two rare champions competing this year.

The 2021 finalist, Stefanos Tsitsipas, had a tough start, needing four sets to beat Jiri Vesely in the first round on May 28. Also advancing with hard-fought victories were seeds Hubert Hurkacz, Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev. The first surprise of the tournament was 20th seed Dani Evans' three-set loss to Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Vy Anh

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