Novak Djokovic has sent the tennis world into meltdown with the manner in which he exited the French Open court last night.
Having just been on the receiving end of a classic Jannik Sinner triumph, where he sucked the life out of his opponent, few would begrudge the 38-year-old for feeling downtrodden.
However, taking his time to depart Philippe Chatrier, waving to fans for an elongated period, and then kissing the clay beneath his feet, was enough to raise eyebrows.
This felt like more than just a normal goodbye, and thus people have started to speculate.
John McEnroe made his prediction on Djokovic’s future afterwards, with others equally keen to provide their insight.
Rennae Stubbs is the latest to have given her thoughts.
Rennae Stubbs speaks about Novak Djokovic’s potential retirement
Taking to X, she did not hold back in her assessment of what seemed like an emotional farewell.
After all, he did take his time to soak in a French Open atmosphere that had been kind to him throughout the tournament, and especially last night.
Philippe Chatrier was willing him on to at least snag a set from Sinner, but the relentless power from the world number one was just impossible to break down.
He has now set up a grand final with Carlos Alcaraz this Sunday. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic will be forced to watch on from the stands or elsewhere.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion will feel he still has enough to be competing in matches of this magnitude, and to have failed to reach that stage in the last three majors will be a blow.
That could therefore explain Stubbs’ assertive claim.
Where could Novak Djokovic win his 25th Grand Slam title?
Djokovic will want to keep on playing until the opportunity arises when he can claim Grand Slam number 25, moving him ahead of Margaret Court and alone at the top of the leaderboard. Only then will he be satisfied.
However, as time goes on, those chances are slimming.
Alcaraz and Sinner are only getting better, whilst his physicality, no matter how impressive for his age, is not at their level anymore.
The longer he goes without claiming that title, the harder it will become.
With that in mind, Wimbledon and the US Open both offer his greatest chances to complete tennis for good.
The former is one of his favourite hunting grounds, having won the title seven times. He even admitted in his post-match interview that the speed of the grass could help him to trouble these elite-level stars.
Fortunately, the US Open is also quite a fast court, with the conditions having allowed Djokovic to win a further four titles there too.
Historically, he is a legendary champion at both of these events, but he will have to wrestle the titles of Alcaraz and Sinner respectively once again.
If he heads into 2026 having failed to win number 25, just as he is poised to turn 39, it might be the time when he accepts his fate.
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