Novak Djokovic touched down in Indian Wells and revealed that he will prolong his tennis career as long as two factors are still in play. The Serb, 38, reached the Australian Open final earlier this year and defeated Jannik Sinner in that run, before falling to world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. His wait for a 25th Grand Slam title continues.
But Djokovic has insisted that eclipsing Margaret Court’s record is not the motivating factor for continuing to play. He is in the United States to play a professional match for the first time since his final defeat in Melbourne, facing either Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Kamil Majchrzak in the second round after receiving a bye, and opened up on his drive to compete.
Djokovic believes that he has no reason to retire while he still has the “fire” and “flair” to beat the top players on the ATP Tour.
“It was an incredible feeling to be able to beat Sinner in five sets in one of the epic matches that I played in recent times in Australia, and then have another great match with Carlos, who was just too good in the end,” Djokovic said.
“For me, that has been a phenomenal result. So I have proven to myself primarily and to others that I can still compete at the highest level and beat these guys.
“So my logic is why not keep going as long as I have that fire and flair and quality and the motivation to do that.”
Djokovic remains third in the ATP world rankings, despite playing fewer competitions than ever, as he focuses solely on Majors and allows his body time to rest between tournaments.
And he claimed his position is not “too bad” and the joy of top-level competition still drives him to play, even as he approaches his 39th birthday.
“I really enjoy the thrill of competition,” Djokovic added.
“I enjoy still getting out there in front of the fans and being competitive. Still number three in the world, so I don’t think it’s too bad in terms of the ranking and results and performances.
“So I’m still competitive. I still have that edge, and I’ll keep on going as long as I feel like it.”