Novak Djokovic continues his season at the Hellenic Championship this week, having opted to skip the Paris Masters.
Djokovic withdrew from the Paris Masters after reaching the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters, where he fell to eventual champion Valentin Vacherot.
Two players who did take on the Paris Masters were Rohan Bopanna and Nicolas Mahut, both of whom have since decided to retire from tennis.
Mahut retired after losing his doubles opener with Grigor Dimitrov, with Bopanna taking the same action after losing his doubles opener with Alexander Bublik at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Novak Djokovic reacts after two players announce retirements from tennis
Djokovic has now sent well wishes to both legendary players, who both managed to reach number one in the world rankings.
Writing to five-time Grand Slam doubles champion Mahut, Djokovic posted on his Instagram story in French: “Well done Nico, congratulations on your brilliant career.”
And Djokovic then added to his Instagram story to one-time doubles and one-time mixed doubles Grand Slam winner Bopanna: “Congrats for a splendid career, Bops.”
Frenchman Mahut retires aged 43 with 37 doubles titles to his name, while 45-year-old Bopanna boasts 26.
Is Novak Djokovic nearing his retirement from tennis?
Djokovic’s reactions to Mahut and Bopanna do, of course, offer a gentle reminder that the Serbian himself may be nearing retirement.
The 38-year-old understandably hasn’t been able to reach the heights he once did during his prime, although he did manage to reach the semifinals of all four Grand Slams.
Importantly for his followers and indeed tennis in general, iconic figure Djokovic doesn’t plan to retire anytime soon.
Undoubtedly keeping him going is the idea of a record 25th Grand Slam title, with a 100 ATP Tour tally milestone having already been achieved.
He hit that total at Geneva earlier this year, and needs just one more Grand Slam title to move beyond any player in men’s and women’s tennis.
Denis Shapovalov and Boris Becker react to Rohan Bopanna’s retirement
Djokovic wasn’t the only player reacting to Bopanna’s big news, with his fellow ATP star Denis Shapovalov writing on X: “Honoured to have shared the court with you and to have been a small part of your incredible career.
“Super grateful to have had you as my mentor & friend on tour, I’ll never forget all the memories we shared! P.S. I’m still not convinced you’re actually retiring!”
And legendary tennis figure Boris Becker commented on X: “You will be missed brother! Thanks for the memories.”
The Indian, like Mahut, is clearly a popular figure on the tour, with both players certain to be missed in the coming years.
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