Novak Djokovic has been backed to retire from tennis if he wins an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam at the US Open next month. The 37-year-old is currently level with Margaret Court at the top of the all-time major standings.
Djokovic moved level with Court after winning last year’s US Open but has been unable to add to his tally this year, despite reaching the Wimbledon final in July.
He is among the favourites to clinch victory at Flushing Meadows, with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner also tipped for success.
And ahead of the tournament, 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert explained in an ESPN conference call: “I think if he wins the 25th major, I would think that he would leave the game. He’d break that tie with Margaret Court.
“I would allow him to retire after that. Okay, you have everybody in the world’s permission to retire. That would be epic if he could do that. But he’s a very driven person beyond anybody that I’ve ever seen.”
And she added: “It would be Herculean if he wins this tournament and gets to 25. I think hands down he would have to be the greatest male player ever. I think he already is in a lot of people’s minds.”
If Djokovic does call time on his illustrious career, it would fulfil his parent’s wishes. Last year, the blockbuster star’s mother Dijana and father Srdan spoke about his future on and off the court during a documentary called Novak Djokovic – Untold Stories.
“It’s all up to him. As far as I’m concerned, he can retire right now – he has won everything,” explained Dijana.
And Srdan added: “As far as my wishes for him go, he has already fulfilled them all – seven, eight years ago. 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 what he will do after his career ends and after he leaves the tennis world, which I hope 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.
