MONACO — It’s an undeniable truth that for tennis players in their late 30s, things don’t get any easier.
Not so long ago, even playing at the top level at such an age would have been considered a near-miracle. Though advances in athleticism, nutrition and recovery have made that much more common, actually winning the sport’s biggest titles at an older age is more difficult than ever. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were 36 and 35, respectively, when they won their last majors.
Novak Djokovic was also 36 when he won the most recent of his record-equaling 24 Grand Slam singles titles at the US Open in 2023, and he was 37 when he won the Olympic gold medal last summer to fill the only void in his résumé. But as he begins the clay-court season, just a month shy of his 38th birthday, he knows more than anyone how tough it is becoming to win majors, played out, as they are, over the best of five sets.
It’s not just the emergence of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who between them have won the past five Slams and six of the past seven, that has complicated matters. For Djokovic, injuries have inevitably become more commonplace, like the hamstring tear that ended his superb Australian Open run in the semifinals in January, and little things just seem to crop up to make life so much tougher, like the eye infection that affected him in the final in Miami last month, ruining an otherwise encouraging fortnight. And with his children now 10 and 7, juggling tennis and family is an increasing battle.
“I’m trying to have the balancing act as I go along,” said Djokovic at the Monte Carlo Masters on Sunday, the infection under his right eye still visible. “When I say ‘balancing act,’ what I mean is to really find a nice equilibrium between professional life and private life, and to be content with what I’m doing and how I’m doing it and still be able to motivate myself to keep going, not just on tournaments, but also practice weeks, day after day. There is no doubt that it became more difficult [to get motivated] than it was throughout my career.”
In Miami, just as in Melbourne, Djokovic showed that when he’s on his game, he’s still a force to be reckoned with, having reached the final without dropping a set and going down only in two tiebreaks to an inspired Mensik, not helped by his eye infection. Weeks like that, when things go well, are enough to convince him that he can still win the biggest titles.
“The performances I had in Miami … when I’m playing that way, obviously it gives me more inspiration to move, to keep going,” he said. “Just feels great on the court when you are striking the ball well and winning matches. Obviously, when you start to lose early in the tournaments, that’s when you question [yourself]. More questions appear, more inner, I guess, voices, which are bringing doubts and conversations, on whether you should keep going, and how much and so forth.”
“I’m glad that I found, at least in Miami, that joy on the court, and I feel the performance level. So let’s see if I can carry that into the clay. Obviously, completely different surface and I didn’t have much time to get used to this tournament, so my expectations are not really high for the results here. It’s more about trying to get matches and as many as possible and obviously try to peak towards the end of the clay season, which is, of course, most importantly, in Paris.”
With Andy Murray taking a rest from coaching duties after accompanying Djokovic in Indian Wells and Miami, the world No. 5 is joined by his brother Marko in Monte Carlo this week. Djokovic begins his title bid against Alejandro Tabilo of Chile, who upset him at the Italian Open last year.
And though his motivation might have wavered at times over the past year, there don’t seem to be any immediate retirement plans in the offing. Asked if, should his 100th ATP tour title coincide with a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title this year, he will quit on the spot and go out on an all-time high, his answer was strong.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “You never know. Let’s see. I still feel like I have some gas left in the tank. I feel like, as I have proven, you know, in Australia and Miami, that I can still play on a high level. And that gives me still satisfaction to be on the court and compete. I know that there’s a group of people that thinks that I should leave tennis on a high, which I understand. A lot of people thought that I should call it quits after a gold medal last year. But let’s see what the future brings. Of course, I’d love to win. If you tell me I’ll win my 100th title in any of the Slams this year, I’ll sign right away. But it’s a big mountain to climb, so, be a bit more humble about it, and hope for the best.”
The voices, it seems, have quietened down for now. “For some other things, not as much,” Djokovic said. “But for tennis, currently, currently, we are on good terms.”