Novak Djokovic insists tennis remains central to his life, and will do his best to win another Grand Slam in 2025.
Djokovic’s drive and class were questioned in the second half of 2024, as he failed to win any major tournaments and went trophyless on the ATP Tour for the first time in two decades. His announcement to skip both the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals further fueled the tennis world’s belief that Djokovic’s retirement was not far off.
However, in an interview with Sport Klub in Belgrade on November 8, Nole affirmed that tennis is still important to him. The owner of 24 Grand Slams said: “I will give my all for the pre-season, we will have another adventure. I just need to recharge, refresh myself a little.”
Djokovic’s goal is to win another Grand Slam in 2025, with the Australian Open high on his list of priorities. “I have said many times that winning a Grand Slam is the number one goal, as well as the Davis Cup for Serbia. This will not change, and I will do everything in my power to achieve it.”
Djokovic is expected to play around 10 tournaments in 2025, including four Grand Slams and the Davis Cup. He could start the year at the Brisbane International to warm up for the Australian Open, a major forte for the 37-year-old, who has won 10 times. However, this year Djokovic was stopped in the semi-finals by Jannik Sinner, kicking off a dismal season.
Djokovic won Adelaide in 2023, then went on to win a Grand Slam in Melbourne two weeks later. He wants to do the same in 2025, first by skipping the 2024 year-end events of the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals. Last month, Djokovic said those tournaments were no longer important, given his record-breaking record.
Sport Klub predicts Djokovic will only play one warm-up tournament before each Grand Slam in 2025. If he goes deep at Roland Garros, the Serbian may skip the grass-court tournaments before Wimbledon to conserve his energy, as he has in recent years. Nole is still aiming to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight grass-court majors, after two consecutive final defeats to Carlos Alcaraz.
“The hard-court season at the end of the year will gradually become less important for Djokovic, due to the difficulty of competition and the decline in physical and mental strength,” commented Sport Klub. According to this Serbian newspaper, Nole will spend most of his energy in the first half of the year, the period when three Grand Slams take place.