Naomi Osaka’s coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, does not think Novak Djokovic will want to keep playing for long enough to retire at an older age than Roger Federer.
Federer officially ended his career at the 2022 Laver Cup. His last match was in doubles alongside Rafael Nadal, one of the Swiss maestro’s two legendary rivals over many years along with Djokovic.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion had not played since the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, a month before his 40th birthday, but the official retirement announcement coming a year later made 41 years and one month the former ATP world No. 1’s age when his career ended.
Djokovic turns 38 in May. To surpass Federer’s retirement age, the Serbian would need to play until July 2028, when he will be 41 years and 2 months. That is still a long time away and would require much work.
Mouratoglou doubts Djokovic will want to keep playing for that long. During a game of truth-or-dare on the Tennis Channel, the Frenchman predicted that last year’s Olympic gold medalist would retire before then due to a lack of motivation.
“Novak will end his career earlier than 41 years old, I think, but it all depends on his motivation. I don’t feel his motivation is going to last four more years.”
Questions about Djokovic’s motivation are not new. He is the most statistically successful player in tennis history, and the gold medal he won in the men’s singles at the 2024 Olympics means there are no more significant honors left for him to win for the first time.
Djokovic has also admitted that a big part of him left the sport after Federer, Nadal, and Andy Murray, his main rivals for many years, retired. Murray being his coach might be helping him to manage that feeling.
However, the 24-time Grand Slam winner’s achievements mean he has nothing left to prove to anyone. Djokovic would not still be playing at this stage of his career and life if he did not feel motivated enough to keep going for now.
The Serbian plans to play more tournaments in 2025 than in the last few years, as demonstrated by his upcoming appearance at the 2025 Miami Open, which will mark the first time he has played there since 2019.
Djokovic proved his level is still there at the 2025 Australian Open with an outstanding victory against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinal. His high level meant a final against Jannik Sinner looked likely until he was forced to retire in the semifinal with an injury.
The 37-year-old has lost both his matches since returning from that injury. After falling at the 2025 Qatar Open, Djokovic was defeated in his opening contest at the 2025 Indian Wells Open by Botic van de Zandschulp.
While being rusty after an injury is understandable, Djokovic will hope to improve in Miami. He might be boosted by receiving particularly good crowd support since the fans are guaranteed to be excited to see him for the first time in six years.
