Djokovic Aims to Extend Career as He Nears 40

By all accounts, Novak Djokovic is the most accomplished men’s tennis player of all time. Amongst his records are 24 Grand Slam singles titles, 428 weeks ranked No. 1 in the world, and being the only man to achieve the triple Career Grand Slam by winning all four majors at least three times.

With everything he’s accomplished, and with the fact that he’s a senior citizen by tennis standards, as he’s 38 years old, many are wondering when Djokovic will hang up his tennis racket.

His peers in Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, not to mention Serena Williams on the women’s side, have all retired in the last few years, and those three, along with Djokovic, comprise the Mount Rushmore of Tennis for their generation. Yet, Djokovic isn’t looking for the finish line in his tennis career and is actually looking to compete for many more years, according to recent comments he made.

The Serb took part in the Joy Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, ahead of appearing at the Six Kings Slam tennis exhibition this week. Djokovic was asked about his tennis future and how much longer his career would last. He cited all-time greats in other sports who played into their 40s as motivation for him to keep playing, as they inspire him.

“Longevity is one of my biggest motivations. I really want to see how far I can go,” Djokovic said. “If you see across all the global sports, LeBron James, he is still going strong, he is 40. Cristiano Ronaldo, Tom Brady played until he was 40-something years old. It’s unbelievable. They are inspiring me as well, so I want to keep going, that is one of the motivations I have.”

LeBron James will take part in his record-breaking 23^rd NBA season this year and will turn 41 in December. He was still one of the league’s best players last year, despite being the oldest player in the NBA. He averaged 24.4 points, made second-team All-NBA, and finished sixth in MVP voting, which was his highest finish since he was a spry 35-year-old in 2019-20.

Cristiano Ronaldo turned 40 in February and continues to set records seemingly every time he takes the pitch. Just earlier this week, he scored twice for Portugal’s National Team in a match versus Hungary that took place in 2026 World Cup qualifying. With his first goal, Ronaldo broke a tie for the most goals in World Cup qualifying history and now has 41 in his illustrious career. This came after he led his domestic league, the Saudi Pro League, in scoring for the second straight year.

Tom Brady played until he was 45 years old, finishing as the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and Super Bowl victories. He had more passing touchdowns in his 40s (193) than Hall of Famers like Roger Staubach, Bart Starr, and Troy Aikman had in their entire careers.

However, while those three all are, or were, strong in their 40s, Djokovic is struggling to keep pace while still in his late 30s. It’s been over two years since he won a major tournament, and he failed even to make the final of a Grand Slam in 2024.

Djokovic has clearly been overtaken in the tennis hierarchy by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who have combined to win the last eight Grand Slams. They are also far younger than Djokovic, with Alcaraz 22 years old and Sinner 24.

Djokovic’s Thursday comments indicate that he still wants to compete against those guys, which is a bit of a different tone than he shared just a few months ago. After a semifinal defeat at the Roland Garros this past summer, Djokovic said, “This could have been the last match ever I played here.” Perhaps he was just caught up in the emotion of the defeat, as it appears he wants to log a couple of more French Opens, in addition to the other majors.

Gracefully aging athletes from other sports aren’t all that inspire Djokovic to keep on playing, as he also wants to see what’s ahead for his sport. He’s always been at the forefront of doing whatever is best for the game of tennis, as evidenced by his and former Canadian tennis player Vasek Pospisil’s founding of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA). The PTPA is akin to the players’ association in other sports, as it works in the best interest of both men’s and women’s singles and doubles players.

“I want to also live to see—live, meaning keep on playing professionally—what is coming for our sport, and I am super excited about it,” Djokovic added at the forum. “The things that are happening, [that] I can’t be openly speaking about at the moment. But in the next couple of years, I feel like tennis is a sport that can be greatly, and will be greatly, transformed, and I want to be part of that change… I want to be playing when we rejuvenate our sport.”