The sands of time finally started to catch up with Novak Djokovic in 2024, with the Serbian legend certain to finish the year without adding to his record-breaking Grand Slam tally.
After dominating the men’s game by winning three Grand Slam titles last year and the end-of-season ATP Finals, 37-year-old Djokovic has failed to win any titles on the ATP Tour.
His stunning victory at the Paris Olympic Games ensured he achieved his biggest goal of the year, but his future is uncertain after his comments in recent days suggesting he will not be playing a full schedule for the final phase of his career.
“For the first time in my career, I don’t have any long-term plans. I live in the moment and I’ll see what happens,” he said.
“I’m going to play in China, and then in an exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia. After that, I don’t know.
“Family life is very important to me. I want to be with my wife and children, to be part of their daily lives, which I haven’t been able to do for many years. We’ll see how I feel and we’ll judge.”
Djokovic has openly admitted he has lost some motivation to play in ATP Tour events and he is planning to focus on Grand Slam tournaments and playing for Serbia in the Davis Cup next year.
That new mindset may explain why his ATP Tour stats have suffered a massive decline over the last 12 months.
Djokovic was in second place for serves games held on the ATP Tour in 2023 with a percentage of 88.39%, but he is down in 12th place for that statistic this year on 84.60%.
On the first service points won statistics, Djokovic is lagging behind his rivals in 16th place with 74.77% of points won.
Djokovic topped the stats for second serve points won on the ATP Tour last year, but he has slipped down to 12th place in that table with 54.33% for 2024.
He was third for break points saved last year but is down in 19th position in that table this year.
They are all markers that confirm Djokovic’s days of dominance in ATP Tour matches appear to be over, with tennis legend John McEnroe suggesting it is ‘amazing’ that it has taken until after his 37th birthday for the Serbian’s drive and passion to wane.
“It’s difficult to say what we can expect from him next year,” McEnroe told Tennis365 at a Eurosport event.
“First of all, you never want to count him out, but this is certainly the first time that you could ask the question if his days of winning majors are over.
“He’s got his family and you mention the word motivation. How long can this guy stay motivated? I’m amazed he’s kept it this long, actually.
“Whether he does win majors again or he doesn’t. He won three of the four last year and now we are saying he might never win another one.
“I would be kinda surprised he did win more majors because of his age. At some point, that catches up to you.
“You lose a little bit of the fear factor. Guys who think they didn’t have a chance against you change their mindset and it makes it much tough. That is what he is facing now.
“It will be interesting to see if he can pull it off, but I do think he is going to try and find that motivation again for Grand Slam No 25.”
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