Novak Djokovic may be hindering his chances of winning a 25th Grand Slam with his recent decision-making

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Despite four extraordinary campaigns, Novak Djokovic failed to claim a 25th Grand Slam title in 2025.

At 38 years of age, the Serb made it to the semifinals of all four majors, suffering near misses each time.

At the Australian Open, Djokovic was forced to retire from his final four clash with Alexander Zverev due to injury, having earned a huge win over Carlos Alcaraz in the previous round.

Then, he advanced to the semifinals once again at Roland Garros, but fell to Jannik Sinner in straight sets before being handed an almost identical defeat by the Italian at Wimbledon.

Djokovic was hoping to finally get over the line at the tournament where he clinched his most recent major, the US Open, but could not find an answer for a red-hot Alcaraz.

As time goes on, it will only more difficult for the great man to secure number 25, and with his recent decision making, he may be making it harder for himself.

Novak Djokovic should consider entering the Paris Masters

After Djokovic exited the Shanghai Masters, he stated that the only upcoming tour-level event he has pencilled in is the new-look ATP 250 tournament in Athens, set to take place in early November.

While he is expected to feature at the year-end ATP Finals in Turin, the 24-time major champion has not yet confirmed his availability for the Paris Masters, the final Masters 1000 competition of the season, beginning in late October.

Many will see Djokovic’s decision not to feature in Paris as wise; however, a point recently made by former American player John Isner may prove otherwise.

In an episode of Nothing Major, Isner said: “As you get older, the more time off you take, the harder it is for you to recover.”

He then went on to explain that the reason Djokovic featured in Shanghai was because he wanted to keep his body ready for the 2026 season.

If that is the case, then Djokovic may be putting himself in a tricky situation by choosing not to enter the Paris Masters.

Matchplay at big ATP events, at his age, is now more important than ever, and if he is to have any chance of emerging victorious at a major once again, another deep run at a Masters may be exactly what he needs.

Novak Djokovic’s 2025 schedule on the ATP Tour

This season, Djokovic has played at just 12 tour-level competitions and somehow finds himself third in the ‘Race to Turin’.

He began his 2025 campaign with Andy Murray as his coach, and appeared at seven tournaments with the Briton in his corner.

After parting ways with Murray, he won the Geneva Open, and played exclusively at Grand Slams from May to September.

Since his US Open defeat, he has only played the Shanghai Masters, and will now head to Saudi Arabia for the Six Kings Slam exhibition.