Just In: Novak Djokovic confirms next tournament as John McEnroe predicts retirement ‘soon’
Novak Djokovic’s Grand Slam season ended in the worst possible manner: a first-round exit at the US Open. It was in sharp contrast to how he started the year, having reached the final of the Australian Open. Djokovic was – and still is – on the lookout for an elusive 25th Grand Slam title, and after his performance Down Under, there were hopes he’d be able to achieve it this year.
A poor showing in Paris was made better by a run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon, but things came crashing back down to earth in New York. Having prioritised the Slams this year, Djokovic’s ranking has taken a hit as well, with the Serb currently sitting 12th in the ATP standings.
As such, it puts pressure on Djokovic to compete in some of the other ATP events, which he intends to do this autumn.
The 39-year-old has announced his intention to feature at the China Open, which gets underway later this month. It’s the first time since 2015 that Djokovic will compete at the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing, with the 24-time Slam winner saying: “I’m very happy to announce that after many years I’m returning to Beijing for the China Open.
“I’m very excited to be coming back and to play in front of all of you at the National Tennis Center, one of the most beautiful venues in tennis, a place where I have incredible memories and big successes throughout my career. I want to thank all the Chinese fans for their longtime love and support over the years. I can’t wait to play in front of you.”
However, John McEnroe recently hypothesised that the end is nigh for Djokovic, hinting his retirement is likely just around the corner. The American remarked: “On the one hand, one thinks that age is taking its toll, as happens to all athletes at some point. On the other hand, he has had an incredible streak.
He beat Jannik Sinner in Australia, reached the final and won the first set against Carlos Alcaraz and played well. Then he reached the semifinals of Wimbledon, and got a big victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime in the previous round.
“That made me think that, when I got to the US Open, he was probably the third or fourth best player in the world. So what we saw in the first round was shocking. As they say, time is invincible.”
And on the retirement claim, he added: “Well, you would certainly think so. He’s 39 for starters, you know, when it’s just way past most people’s expiration date and tennis, including mine.
“You don’t want to get to a point and say, ‘Why did I stop when maybe I could have won more. That’s sort of what Novak’s facing. You got to the finals of Australia. He’s like, maybe I could win one more.
“Will he stop next year? It seems like it’s gonna be soon. You would think that’s a strong possibility, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
