Novak Djokovic is now in the latter stages of his tennis career at 38 years old.
Djokovic claimed he wanted to play at Wimbledon again after losing his most recent match to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals.
However, it appears that not everyone thinks that will be the case, with Nick Kyrgios predicting Djokovic’s retirement in the near future.
The retirement conversation has been in the air for many years, with a two-time Grand Slam singles champion once making a big claim about Djokovic after he leaves the sport.
Ilie Nastase once told Novak Djokovic he would be ‘forgotten’ after retiring
Ilie Nastase was the first world number one in ATP history and has made many controversial comments over the years.
One of those came back in 2023, when the Romanian discussed the landscape of men’s tennis and what would happen when Djokovic retires.
When speaking to Gazeta Sporturilor, Nastase claimed that the then 23-time major champion Djokovic would be forgotten like other players have been before when he retires from tennis.
“We cannot forget the ones from before: Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver, who completed the Calendar Grand Slam twice, or Pete Sampras,” said Nastase. “Sometimes we forget about these people Agassi, for example, is also there.
“Children only look at who is the champion, I suppose it happens like in football, where Pele was appreciated in his time, then [Johan] Cruyff arrived, [Diego] Maradona and now [Lionel] Messi.
“Djokovic, despite his 23 Grand Slams, will be forgotten like everyone else. We can only sit and look at his records when we open the newspaper, but we can’t forget about [Rafael] Nadal, or about [Roger] Federer because he retired. Djokovic’s turn will come too.”
The tennis achievement that Ilie Nastase said weighed more than Novak Djokovic’s Grand Slam tally
This was not the only controversial claim Nastase made in that interview, having also suggested that Rafael Nadal’s 14 Roland Garros victories carried more weight than Djokovic’s then 23 majors.
“I don’t think it’s a fight, at least I don’t think it’s a personal fight between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal,” said Nastase. “I don’t see it this way.
“This is what happened: Novak won another Grand Slam, but it could have been the other way around, right? Nadal could have been with 23, the two would still be stuck, does it matter that much that one now has one more title?”
He later added, “Those 14 Roland Garros weigh much more than Djokovic’s 23 Grand Slams.”
| Ranking | Most Grand Slams | Most titles at one Grand Slam |
| 1 | Novak Djokovic (24) | Rafael Nadal (14x Roland Garros) |
| 2 | Rafael Nadal (22) | Novak Djokovic (10x Australian Open) |
| 3 | Roger Federer (20) | Roger Federer (8x Wimbledon) |
| 4 | Pete Sampras (14) | Bill Tilden, Richard Sears & William Larned (7x US Open) |
| 5 | Roy Emerson (12) | Novak Djokovic, Pete Sampras & William Renshaw (7x Wimbledon) |
Djokovic is now seeking his 25th Grand Slam title, with his last coming at the 2023 US Open.
The New York major will be the 38-year-old’s next opportunity to win another Grand Slam, with there being big questions over Djokovic’s US Open credentials.
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