Novak Djokovic’s decision not to play the ATP Finals was not so surprising. It’s no secret that the former world No. 1 has other goals at this stage of his career and has never hidden it. The Serbian champion is focused on Grand Slam tournaments and the Davis Cup, in which he has the opportunity to play for his country.

At 37, the legend from Belgrade knows he doesn’t have many other chances to win his 25th Major title. Nole failed to achieve this feat in 2024, only reaching the final at the Wimbledon Championships and losing to Carlos Alcaraz for the second year in a row. The gap to Jannik Sinner and Carlitos Alcaraz seems to have increased in recent months and Novak has struggled to maintain his usual pace, as evidenced by the zero ATP titles won this year. Djokovic has not won a single Grand Slam title in an entire season, for the first time since 2017 and for the second time since 2011.

For this reason, the former world number 1 will start the off-season earlier than usual and will give his all to still be competitive in 2025. According to what he said during a Euroleague game a few days ago, Novak will play a tournament before the 2025 Australian Open. It will not be easy at all for Djokovic to win another Grand Slam title next year. The ATP tour has found a well-defined set-up, in which Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are the two undisputed leaders. The Italian ace won two Major titles in 2024 and suffered just six losses, while the Spaniard was outstanding during the spring with his triumphs in Paris and London.

Rick Macci on Djokovic’s schedule

Serena Williams’ former coach Rick Macci recently commented on Nole’s decision to change his schedule. “It’s Djokovic’s decision to not play many tournaments and it’s the right thing to do,” he wrote on his official X profile. “This smart surgical approach is extending his career. His approach is brilliant. The rubber band man knows his mind and body. He thinks there are a few more Slams on the horizon” – Macci added.

The Serbian legend shocked the world many times, including in 2024, winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics and finally completing the puzzle. On the worst surface for his game – the red clay – Djokovic expressed his best tennis and defeated the young Spaniard Alcaraz in a truly memorable final. In the rest of the season, Novak struggled more than expected to find the right stimuli to shine in the second-tier tournaments. The former world number 1 played good tennis only in the Shanghai Masters 1000, in which he reached the final losing to Sinner in two sets.

Nole will play an exhibition with Delpo

To tell the truth, Nole’s 2024 is not over yet. The 24-time Grand Slam champion will play an exhibition match with former Argentine ace Juan Martin del Potro in Buenos Aires on December 1st. During a long interview with ‘La Nacion’, the 2009 US Open champion revealed how the idea of organizing this event was born: “One day in Miami he called me and said ‘Delpo, I know you’re here, I want to go to dinner together to talk’. Obviously I canceled all my plans and went to dinner.

It was a spectacular talk that we would never have imagined in competition. These are beautiful things that tennis gives you once you’re no longer there fighting for points. And after hours of talking and getting more comfortable, he said: ‘Well, tell me about your life. What are you doing? How are you? There are some news that circulated, is it true or false? How are you with that?’

Then he said to me: ‘Well, let’s get to the point. Is it true that you want to say goodbye, to play a match in Argentina?’ I told him how I felt: ‘The only way this can go forward is if you want to accompany me that day. If not, I will not be emotionally prepared to face this and I am not convinced either.’ And he told me, like that, forcefully: ‘Count on me for whatever I can help you with. I have the Olympic Games, I have the exhibition in Saudi Arabia, tournaments, this, that, my family, but somehow I will accompany you in your last moment on the court.’

And for me it was very emotional because a guy like him, with the tight schedule he has, with the things he plays for week after week, the thousands of offers he has of all kinds, to take a break and come to Argentina for a couple of hours to be with me and the people, who also love him, was super special.”