Novak Djokovic turned 38 years old on Thursday, winning in the Geneva Open quarter-final against Matteo Arnaldi on his birthday.
Djokovic defeated eighth seed Arnaldi in straight sets to book his place in the semi-final, where he will face Britain’s Cam Norrie.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion is in pursuit of a 100th career title in the Swiss city, bidding to become the third man in the Open Era to tally a century of ATP crowns.
Even in the twilight of his career, the former world number one is still competing at the highest level in search of more accolades.
He won’t be around forever, however, and with Djokovic recently hinting at retirement, the Serb spoke on his plans for life after tennis.
Novak Djokovic says he visualises himself still being involved in sports after he retires
Speaking on the Qatar Airways YouTube channel about plans for life after retirement, Djokovic said: “I do visualise myself still being involved in sports, more from the perspective of health and wellbeing.”
“Doing more for my country and the region. I feel like we have amazing cultures and amazing countries that have so much potential, and there are different ideas, but definitely staying in sports, health, education, well-being, those are the areas that I’m mostly interested in.”
When asked what keeps him motivated to play at the highest level, he answered: “It’s a love and passion for the game primarily. I still enjoy the process of training when nobody’s watching.”
“The flair still exists, and I feel like I can challenge the best players in the world. As long as that’s the case, I feel like I want to keep going.”
Novak Djokovic’s draw at the 2025 French Open
Djokovic will make his 21st appearance at Roland Garros after his run in Geneva, and will play Mackenzie McDonald in the first round.
Entering the tournament as the sixth seed, he is in the same quarter of the draw as last year’s finalist, Alexander Zverev.
A potential route to his eighth French Open final could feature clashes against Daniil Medvedev in round four, Zverev in the quarter-finals, and Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals.
Djokovic has held the Roland Garros trophy aloft three times on court Philippe Chatrier, emerging victorious in 2016, 2021 and 2023.
He’ll hope to make it four in Paris and clinch a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.
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