Novak Djokovic has threatened to skip tournaments in the future including the ATP Finals at the end of the year.
The 37-year-old is keen to keep his playing career going as long as possible, which will mean managing his workload in his advancing years.
Djokovic has already taken something of a backseat in some competitions over the past few years, instead concentrating on the Grand Slam events.
With the other tournaments not offering the same prestige as the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, Djokovic has admitted he might stop playing some ATP events altogether.
Novak Djokovic has declared he is 'done' with smaller tournaments
PA
"Torino [the ATP Finals] is not my goal at all, to be honest," the 24-Grand Slam event winner said.
"I am not chasing ATP Finals, I am not chasing the rankings.
"As far as I’m concerned, I am done with those tournaments for my career. Whether I will play others this year or in the future, I can’t say right now.
"My main priorities are playing for the national team and Slams. Everything else is less important.
"I said a million times how much it means to play for the national team.
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"The way you show it is by, first and foremost, playing for the national team when you get the call, with fight, dedication in both practice and matches."
Djokovic could put his words into action next month after being named on the entry lsit for the Shanghai Masters.
Whether the tennis supremo turns up remains to be seen, though would seem unlikely considering he has not played it since 2019.
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Novak Djokovic is ready to temper his workload in the future
PA
He is also scheduled to take part in the Paris Master, but again that would be a surprise despite the 1,000 ranking points up for grabs.
Djokovic missed out on a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2017 this year while the Serbian has admitted before that he is finding it tough to find the motivation in lesser tournaments.
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Novak Djokovic failed to win a Grand Slam title this year for the first time since 2017
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"It's true that I'm focused pretty much solely on Grand Slams and Olympics this year and playing for my country, really. That's something that really drives me the most today," he said at the French Open.
"The other tournaments, it's not maybe sounding right, but these are huge tournaments, very important tournaments, tournaments that are part of the ATP Tour that I was part of and still am part of for so many years, and have been integral to my career and my success.
"But yeah, it is becoming a little bit more challenging for me to push myself every single tournament to be really at the top."
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