Has the winning spark finally gone? Maybe it is time for Novak Djokovic to hang up his rackets, pack away the tennis balls, and say goodbye to the game he has ruled for so many years.
Djokovic broke down in tears after being knocked out in the first round of the US Open by Mariano Navone. For a champion who has spent his career fighting until the very last point, those tears told a powerful story.
Could this be the moment when one of tennis’ greatest ever players finally decides that it is time to walk away?
With 101 ATP singles titles to his name, Djokovic has built one of the most decorated careers in tennis history. His journey began in 2006, when, at just 19 years old, he captured his first ATP title at the Amersfoort Open in the Netherlands, defeating Nicolas Massu in the final.
His most recent title came in November 2025, when he won the Hellenic Championship in Athens, defeating Lorenzo Musetti in the final to claim his 101st career title.
In 2025, Djokovic came close to winning several major tournaments he reached the Miami Open final, where he lost to Jakub Mensik, and he also reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open and Shanghai Masters.
This year, he came even closer to another Grand Slam title by reaching the Australian Open final, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz, and later reached the Wimbledon semi-finals, where he was defeated by Jannik Sinner.
Speaking to the media after his 7-6(7-5) ,5-7 4-6 6-2 6-1 defeat against Navone, the 39-year-old said,” I think it was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me.
“I don’t want to take too much out of Mariano’s win. Congrats to him, he’s a nice guy and a fighter – but I didn’t enjoy myself.”
