Novak Djokovic retirement verdict after dad asked Serb to quit tennis

Novak Djokovic recently revealed that his dad has been asking him to retire.

A former Wimbledon champion has claimed that Novak Djokovic will only retire on one condition. The 24-time Grand Slam champion suffered a disappointing defeat in the Miami Open final over the weekend. But Marion Bartoli believes Djokovic will keep playing until he hits one specific milestone.

Her verdict won’t land well with Djokovic’s father, Srdjan. The world No. 5 recently revealed that his dad has been asking him to quit tennis and to start thinking about how he wants to end his career.

Djokovic has increasingly started to spark retirement rumours over the last year. The 37-year-old has suffered some uncharacteristic early exits at big tournaments – he lost early at the US Open last September and, earlier this year, went on a three-match losing streak.

Injuries and physical setbacks have also been a problem. Djokovic underwent meniscus surgery last June and, at January’s Australian Open, he was forced to retire mid-match with a muscle tear.

But the world No. 5 has still posted some big results. He finally won a long-awaited Olympic gold medal last summer. This year, he beat Carlos Alcaraz en route to the Australian Open semi-final and has already reached a Masters 1000 final in Miami.

The championship match was a reminder that Djokovic is more vulnerable than he used to be. He lost to 19-year-old Jakub Mensik in two tiebreak sets, also struggling with the humidity and had a swollen eye.

Following his latest defeat, retired tennis star Bartoli has had her say on Djokovic’s potential retirement conditions, claiming he wouldn’t stop until he won a record 25th Grand Slam title.

“For me, that desire to win everything, you see it in the depths of his eyes. That moment when he won Olympic gold… He never gave up on that quest,” the former world No. 7 said.

“He wants to finish with 25 Grand Slams to be at the top of the pyramid and not have any name next to his, and I think he won’t stop until he gets that.”

Djokovic has more Grand Slam titles than anyone in the Open Era with 24. However, in the all-time records, he is currently tied with Margaret Court, who won 13 of her 24 Majors before the Open Era started.

The Serb is also seeking his 100th overall title and had a chance to reach the milestone in Miami.