Novak Djokovic's dad calls for retirement after Carlos Alcaraz Wimbledon final defeat
Novak Djokovic was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in the recent Wimbledon final
PA
Novak Djokovic's father wants his son to retire from tennis next year.
The Serb has enjoyed a remarkable career, winning a stunning 23 Grand Slam titles to lead the likes of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Djokovic has won the Australian Open and French Open so far this year while also recently making the Wimbledon final.
But his father, Srdjan Djokovic, would like to see the 36-year-old retire next year.
Novak Djokovic's dad wants Wimbledon icon to retire from tennis next year
PA
Speaking in an upcoming documentary titled 'Novak Djokovic - Untold Stories', Srdjan said: "As far as my wishes for him go, he has already fulfilled them all seven to eight years ago.
"The rest is this amazing bonus."
He added: "My wish as a father - I think for some time that he should have stopped working this extremely difficult job.
"It's physically and mentally challenging and very demanding - with him being fully dedicated for 30 years, and not taking his foot off the gas, there is not much time for other things in life.
"Tennis is only one segment of his life, not his whole life.
"I expect him to be recognised for the things he will do after his career ends as well, after he leaves the tennis world, which I hope it will happen next year."
As for Djokovic's mother, Dijana, she feels her son will make the final decision on his future.
"It's all up to him," she said. "As far as I'm concerned, he can retire right now - he has won everything."
Djokovic doesn't appear to have any plans to quit tennis as things stand.
And he's currently focused on the US Open, with that tournament due to commence next month.
It will be Djokovic's first trip back to Flushing Meadows since 2020.
The 36-year-old, who has won three US Open titles throughout his career, was prevented from taking part in the last two tournaments due to his vaccination status.
Djokovic is now free to take to the court in New York again, however, after President Joe Biden lifted restrictions.
Meanwhile, Djokovic's coach Goran Ivanisevic believes the veteran and Alcaraz currently have an 'interesting' rivalry.
“He is a mixture of all three and he has an incredible future ahead of him," he said.
"If he continues like this, he has an incredible future ahead of him.
"He does it all with a smile, and we have the opportunity to watch him in the last three editions of this tournament (the ATP 250 event in Umag).
“Now everyone is expecting a new rivalry between Alcaraz and Novak. Although the age difference is big, they will still play a lot of finals.
"We have an interesting tennis era ahead of us.”
On the recent Wimbledon final, he added: “I’m still a little sad, but it’s harder for Novak because he was on the court.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Novak Djokovic was recently beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final
PA
"But kudos to Carlos, he showed the world what kind of tennis player he is. A five-set match that went in his favour, but Novak took the chances you have to in such a final."
You may like
