The reality set in as 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic addressed the crowd on Sunday night after his four-set loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the final: we may have just witnessed the Grand Slam king’s last match on the court he has owned like no other player.
“God knows what happens tomorrow, let alone six months or 12 months. It has been a great ride, I love you guys!” said Djokovic.
But it doesn’t mean the 10-time Aussie Open and 24-time major champion is retiring. It just means that he’s a realist, and he doesn’t know how many events he’ll play in the next year. The target of the 2028 Olympic Games is still there, looming in the distance, and he didn’t rule that out either as he spoke to Serbian journalists after his 38th career major final.
Were his words meant to say that he’s sure he’ll not be returning to Australia in 2027?
“I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know if I’ll see them or not, that’s why I left it open,” began Novak, paused a bit, then continued:
“You’ve been following me for a long time and – I’m not pretending, I’m not faking, I’m not twisting things, I’m telling you how it is. I told you that in the last year or year and a half I’m not sure how much or what… I would say that I would like to play until the Olympics in 2028, but now… That means I can play one tournament a year, maybe 15, maybe two, maybe seven, I don’t know…”
More than anything, Djokovic wanted to take time to process the moment—the near-miss of the final, in which he played so brilliantly in the opening set before losing his legs in sets two and three. He was two sets from a record 25th major title—closer than he had ever been before.
“I don’t want to make any long-term decisions about the schedule, right now I just want to be with my close ones, so I’ll see what I do next,” he said. “I have no idea, honestly, I can’t think about the next steps right now.”
No matter what happens, the unforgettable emotions will stick with Djokovic, from his epic victory over Jannik Sinner to his battle with Alcaraz in the final, and the way he was embraced by the public in Australia.
“The crowd gave me unforgettable emotions in the last two matches, I’ve certainly never experienced that in totality here,” he said. “I’m very grateful that I finally experienced it because I think I deserved it – I thank them from the bottom of my heart. I’ll return to Australia – as an active player or not, we’ll see about that.”
