OPINION: Djokovic can retire as a legend, so why keep hanging on in frustration?

As well as Novak Djokovic has done to keep his career going for as long as he has, we have to ask, why is he still hanging on?

The 39-year-old Serbian icon has established his place as one of the all-time legends of international tennis since he turned professional in 2003, and as well as other male players have done, it’s hard to argue against Djokovic as the greatest of them all.

He is the only man to have won 24 Grand Slam titles, he holds the record for the most Masters titles (40), he has won seven ATP Tour finals, an Olympic gold medal and a Davis Cup title.

He is also the only man to have won every Grand Slam tournament at least three times and he has topped the world rankings for a record 428 weeks during his spectacular career.

And he has been well rewarded, raking in $194 million (R3.1 billion) in prize money over the last 23 years, on top of income from endorsement deals.

So what more can he possibly want to achieve?

Struggling to stay competitive

Djokovic is clearly slipping in the latter stages of his remarkable career, as was again evident when he lost to Argentine player Mariano Navone in the opening round of the US Open on Sunday.

It was the first time since 2006 that Djokovic lost in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament, but what was most concerning was the nature of the defeat.

He was reduced to tears on court, suffering from cramping and nausea, which he admitted he had experienced in almost every match he had played this year.

Djokovic has not won a Grand Slam since 2023 and he has not been world No 1 since June 2024, and though he remains competitive at the highest level, it seems strange that he’s so desperate to keep hanging on.

He could quit today and he would already be widely regarded as the best men’s player the sport has ever produced, and considering how much he is battling just to keep his lengthy career afloat, maybe it’s time to hang up that racket.