Novak Djokovic’s season ended earlier than his standards. The Serbian champion played his last official tournament of 2024 at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where he was defeated by Jannik Sinner in the final and was unable to celebrate the 100th title of his legendary career.
The 37-year-old from Belgrade also participated in the controversial exhibition called ‘Six Kings Slam’ in Saudi Arabia, where he was beaten again by Sinner in the semifinals. The 24-time Grand Slam champion played the final for third and fourth place against his great rival Rafael Nadal, in what was the latest chapter in their iconic rivalry (although it is not officially counted).
A few days later, Novak announced his decision to skip the Rolex Paris Masters where he was supposed to defend the title he won in 2023. Having missed the final Masters 1000 of the season and being spotted on holiday in Maldives, many have wondered if the former world No. 1 would play the Nitto ATP Finals.
The uncertainty remained until a few days ahead the draw ceremony, when Djokovic announced on his social profiles that he would not go to Turin this year due to an unspecified injury. Some fans and insiders have argued that Novak has been disrespectful to fans and other players, belatedly communicating his decision not to play the Nitto ATP Finals despite his intentions being clear for some time.
Nole could play in Brisbane
A couple of days ago, the 24-time Grand Slam champion made it clear that tennis is still a priority for him and that he will play an ATP tournament before the 2025 Australian Open. It is not clear which tournament Nole will play in the first week of next season. The most likely hypothesis is that the former world number 1 participates in the Brisbane ATP 250, where he only played in 2009. Playing that tournament Djokovic would pick up pace and confidence ahead of the first Major of the new season, where he will try to win his 11th title.
In a recent interview during the Belgrade ATP 250, his former coach Marian Vajda opened up on his current relationship with Novak: “We often text and talk. We spoke after the Paris Olympics this summer. I was in tears because of his amazing win. It was the culmination of all his work, all his successes, and it was really extraordinary. It’s been an incredible journey training him. When I look back on it today and see all those numbers, I think it’s really an incredible achievement. I could never have imagined that he would win so many titles and tournaments and be the best in tennis history.”
The 37-year-old from Belgrade will have to find new weapons next year to defeat Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in Grand Slam tournaments. The Serbian ace – who will turn 38 in 2025 – will perhaps have his last chance to win another important title. Jannik and Carlitos took control of the ATP tour this year and are set to maintain the leadership for many years to come. It will be difficult for Nole to reverse this situation.
Two very tough rivals
During an interview with Eurosport, ATP legend Mats Wilander made a very interesting comparison between Sinner and Djokovic: “Sinner is a big time, big match player like Novak Djokovic, more so than Alcaraz in a way, because Sinner shows up, plays the same way, except better when the pressure is on, and he doesn’t have any dips in his tennis throughout the whole tournament of the US Open or throughout the whole of the Australian Open.
He is the top favorite in Turin. But again, can his body handle another tough week of five matches against the top eight in the world? That’s not easy.” He continued: “Sinner is very difficult to know at this stage because he’s had some injuries. Obviously, he’s trying to put a lot of muscle on and get stronger. The question is, when you do that, can your body handle it?
I’m a firm believer that your natural body shape is what your joints and what your bones can handle. If you add five, 10, 15 kilos of muscle, can your body still handle it? In general, not just physically, but also mentally and in terms of viruses and illnesses and whatever. He’s had a lot of injuries. He’s had a lot of issues.” Djokovic will try to accomplish yet another feat of his legendary career, despite the huge age gap with his two young rivals. The next few months will tell us if his effort has produced results.
