NOVAK DJOKOVIC has been tipped to retire THIS YEAR after his Australian Open nightmare.
The Serbian tennis legend, 37, was forced to retire through injury during his semi-final showdown with Alexander Zverev Down Under.
Novak Djokovic is being tipped to retire this year after his Australian Open retirement[/caption]
That meant his Grand Slam drought now sits at over a year, having gone all of 2024 without a major title to his name – failing to add to his world-record 24 crowns.
And with injuries catching up with him, bookies are backing Djokovic, currently world No6, to quit THIS YEAR.
William Hill have it down as 11/10 that Novak hangs up his racquet before the end of 2025.
It’s 10/1 for the Serb to call time on his illustrious career after the French Open and down to 6/1 for Wimbledon to be his final Grand Slam.
Spokesperson Lee Phelps said: “While time has shown you can never write off Novak Djokovic, the all-conquering Serb has now gone 18 months without a Grand Slam title.
“And after pulling out of his semi-final tie through injury in Melbourne, we feel he may nearly be ready to call time on his glittering career.
“We’re 11/10 that the 24-time Grand Slam winner bows out before the end of the year.
“We’ve got 10/1 on him hanging up his racquet after Roland Garros.
“We’re 6/1 that he calls time following Wimbledon.”
Djokovic had overcome Carlos Alcaraz from a set down in the quarter-final at the Australian Open to reach the final four.
But, after losing a 90-minute opening 7-6 to Zverev in the semis, he withdrew from the match.
After pulling out, Djokovic said: “I did everything I possibly could do to manage the muscle tear that I had.
“Towards the end of that first set I just started feeling more and more pain. It was too much to handle for me.
“I knew even if I won the first set, that it’s going to be a huge uphill battle for me to stay physically fit enough to stay with him in the rallies for two, three, four hours.
“I don’t think I had that today in the tank.”
Should Djokovic retire, it could have huge implications for Andy Murray’s career, too.
The British legend, also 37, had been coaching his old friend rival Down Under.
Murray has now revealed what the plan is for the duo – while admitting he found it all “a bit embarrassing”.
Should Djokovic retire, it could have an impact on Andy Murray’s coaching career[/caption]
The two-time Wimbledon champion said: “Me and Novak agreed that after the tournament we would speak. We’ll do that.
“At times it feels a little bit embarrassing that because of my relationship with Novak, how much people talk about that or when there’s a good result or a good performance that it’s because I’ve helped him.
“I’m fully aware that the team that is with him has done an incredible job over many, many years to allow him to still be competing at this level, at the age that he’s at.
“They’ve all been really, really helpful to me. They really welcomed me into the team. It’s been great to be a part of.
“I got to witness some amazing tennis, and one of the best matches that I’ve seen live against Alcaraz.”
Murray said he had learned a lot from his short time with Djokovic, but admitted he is only just beginning to understand what’s required of a top-level coach.
The Scot revealed: “It’s a steep learning curve for me as well. Obviously there’s a lot of things that as a player, you know things are different when you’re coaching.
“You’re not just thinking about yourself like you are when you’re a player.
“I’ve certainly learned a lot but there’s a lot more still for me to learn, that’s for sure.”
And Murray said he had found it hard to watch Djokovic, knowing that he was suffering in pain.
He said: “When you get to that stage of the tournament, you feel like you’re getting very close to something very special, and it’s unfortunate if the body’s not responding in the way that you would like.
“With Novak there’s always hope with him because of how great a player he is and has found ways out of difficult situations before. It just wasn’t to be this time.”
