Novak Djokovic: “It’s been a great ride”

Questions have been raised around Novak Djokovic’s future following Sunday’s Australian Open final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz.

In a much-anticipated showdown at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, world No. 1 Alcaraz came from a set down to defeat Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 and win the Australian Open men’s singles title.

After Djokovic raced through the first set with clinical precision, Alcaraz found his rhythm in the second, breaking back into the match and leveling before asserting control in the third and fourth sets.

Speaking after the final, Djokovic raised eyebrows with his comments as the 38-year-old missed out on what would have been his 25^th Grand Slam title.

“Congratulations, Carlos, an amazing tournament,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “What you’ve been doing is historic, legendary. You’re so young, you have a lot more time. So I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other a lot more times in the next 10 years… not.

“Thank you to the fans, I tried to give back with good tennis over the years, I must be very honest and say that I didn’t think that I would be standing in a closing ceremony of a grand slam once again, so I think I owe you the gratitude as well for pushing me forward the last couple weeks.”

The Serbian has frequently faced questions about retirement in recent years and is now the last remaining member of the ‘Big Three’ following the retirements of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal a few years ago.

The rise of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who have shared the last eight Grand Slam titles between them, has only intensified that discussion.

Djokovic’s final remarks on Sunday appeared to be his most open and revealing yet regarding his future in the sport.

“God knows what happens tomorrow, let alone in six months or 12 months. It has been a great ride. I love you guys."

The last time the 10-time Australian Open winner won a Grand Slam was the US Open in 2023, since then Djokovic has competed in just two major finals, losing to Alcaraz in both.

Despite his post-match comments at the Australian Open, Djokovic has previously spoken about drawing inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James as he looks to extend his career well into his 40s.

Speaking at the Joy Forum in Riyadh ahead of appearing at the Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament in October 2025, Djokovic said: "Longevity is one of my biggest motivations. I really want to see how far I can go.

"If you see across all the global sports, LeBron James, he is still going strong, he is 40, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tom Brady played until he was 40-something years old, it is unbelievable.

"They are inspiring me as well so I want to keep going, that is one of the motivations I have."