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Novak Djokovic may very well go down in history as the greatest tennis player of all-time.
His resume certainly supports the claim.
Djokovic has won a record 23 grand slam events, including all four at least three times. And it’s likely he is done.
But father time does eventually come for us all. While Djokovic is still the big bad wolf of the tennis world, the 36-year-old Serbian is starting to get pushed harder and harder by the young generation.
Take, for instance, Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz, just 20 years old, just knocked off Djokovic to win his first Wimbledon title and already has a pair of majors to his name. He also solidified his spot atop the ATP rankings with the victory.
So, how much longer will Djokovic keep going? If it were up to his father, the answer would be simple.
“I think for some time that he should have stopped working this extremely difficult job,” Srdjan Djokovic says in a new documentary title Novak Djokovic – Untold Stories.
“As far as my wishes for him go, he has already fulfilled them all seven/eight years ago,” he later said. “The rest is this amazing bonus, tennis is only one segment of his life, not his whole life. I expect him to be recognised for the things he will do after his career ends as well, after he leaves the tennis world, which I hope it will happen next year. And for Novak to slowly but surely… it’s not the end, but in a year-and-a-half let’s say.
“My wish as a father – I think for some time that he should have stopped working this extremely difficult job. It’s physically and mentally challenging and very demanding – with him being fully dedicated for 30 years, and not taking his foot off the gas, there is not much time for other things in life.”
Djokovic’s legacy is safe whenever he chooses to hang it up. But it’s hard to imagine he does so anytime soon while he’s still competing for grand slam titles.