Follow us on Google Discover Novak Djokovic returned to the court at the Six Kings Slam last week, although his event was ended early due to retirement.
Djokovic lost to Jannik Sinner in his opening match in Riyadh, where he received a bye into the semifinals.
The Serbian veteran then met Taylor Fritz in the third place playoff, but Djokovic retired after losing the first set.
Most stars of the tournament have now returned to the ATP Tour after Sinner won the final against Carlos Alcaraz, but Djokovic is not in action this week.
The veteran has, however, managed to qualify for the ATP Finals, which take place in Turin early next month.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesWhat Roger Federer’s old coach wants Novak Djokovic to do before the end of 2025
Djokovic would be making his 18th appearance at the year-end event if he decides to play, having opted against doing so last season due to injury.
Former player Steve Johnson has now shared his take on the situation, having been asked on Tennis Channel if he thinks Djokovic should play in Turin.
He said: “I don’t know whether he should or he shouldn’t, but I don’t see him doing it. I mean, he is somebody that is so meticulous about his schedule, I think all that matters is that Grand Slam 25.
“So if he feels as if playing this event will help get him there, maybe get an edge over one of these guys and getting a win over a Sinner or Alcaraz, then I think he should do it.”
Roger Federer’s former coach Paul Annacone then commented: “I think the thing that he’s realized so well, and I think all the all-time greats do at the end of their career, is they get the macro picture. And Stevie said it so well, he’s trying to figure out how to win number 25.
“Would he like to win this again? Sure. But does it matter? Not really when you look at what he’s done. So will that help him for next year?
“Personally, for me, if I pretended to put on my coaching hat, I would like him to play either Paris or Turin. I don’t think he needs to play both. But I would like him to play just a few more matches before the end of the year.
“We know what he’s done in Australia, and we know how good he can be down there. I think the only question I have in my mind is, can he beat Alcaraz and Sinner back-to-back? That’s one question.
“Actually I have two questions in my mind. Second question that is can he play seven three-out-of-five set matches at that level and at the latter stages? Those are the only two things.
“But when you look at his year like Stevie said, it’s an amazing year. The guy has had an incredible year. But for what we’ve compared it to in the past, it’s only been okay.”
Continuing the debate, Johnson added: “I feel like he may want to play this ATP Finals just to try and get maybe a little bit of an edge, maybe see these guys a little bit more, try and beat them in a two-out-of-three match.
“Because we all know, beating them three-out-of-five seems impossible, and I don’t know if there’s anybody on tour that can beat those guys back-to-back on a Friday and Sunday at a Grand Slam.
“So for Novak, maybe getting a win here at the ATP Finals over one of those guys could prove great for his confidence.”
Paul Annacone says what he thinks is more difficult between the ATP Finals and Grand Slams
Djokovic admitted to struggling against Sinner and Alcaraz in best-of-five matches, where physicality and endurance play key roles.
He did manage to reach the semifinals of all four Grand Slams this season, but was beaten at three of the events by either the Italian or the Spaniard.
Federer’s old coach Annacone was incidentally also presented with the all-time ATP Finals titles list, of which the Serbian legend tops with seven.
Federer is second with six titles, while both Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras have won the year-end event five times.
TitlesPlayer7Novak Djokovic6Roger Federer5Ivan Lendl5Pete Sampras4Ilie Nastase3John McEnroe3Boris BeckerMost ATP Finals titles
Djokovic meanwhile also tops the list for the most men’s Grand Slam titles with 24, followed by the 22 of Rafael Nadal and the 20 of Federer.
Asked if he thinks the ATP Finals list or the Grand Slam list is more impressive, Annacone replied: “I think the major is tougher because three-out-of-five sets over two weeks. It’s a different kind of pressure.
“Here you can lose a match and still win the title. I’ve seen Mr Sampras do that, I’ve seen that happen in the past. So it’s a little less pressure. But there aren’t any good draws here.”
It will be interesting to see what action Djokovic takes with the ATP Finals and indeed the ATP Masters 1000 later this month, with his mind clearly still set on one more Grand Slam success.
But that may now be out of the question for the 38-year-old given his age and the current levels of Sinner and Alcaraz.