Tennis ace Novak Djokovic has outlined his plan for after he quits tennis, admitting he now struggles to keep pace with rising stars Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Despite securing Olympic gold in Paris this summer and celebrating a grand total of 24 grand slams, the 37 year old legend recognises the ascent of younger talent like Alcaraz and Sinner, who amongst them have shared this year’s major titles.
Just recently, world number one Sinner handed Djokovic a defeat at the final of the Shanghai Masters.
Yet, even with these shifts on the court, Djokovic’s ambitions remain unfettered—he’s even floated the possibility of competing at the 2028 Olympics, where he’d be a seasoned competitor at 41. But his reflections don’t just linger on the court; Djokovic is also pondering life beyond elite tennis, with a set of post-career plans that might raise eyebrows.
Speaking candidly about the next generation of tennis superstars and reflecting on his own place within the game’s evolving landscape, Djokovic shared with Sportal: “I think I belong to that old guard that maybe can’t handle the youth anymore. Changes are definitely coming, it’s a natural process and it’s been talked about for several years.”
He didn’t stop there, acknowledging the prowess of those not quite as new on the scene: “We have young guys now, but we also have a generation that is in between, [Alexander] Zverev, [Daniil] Medvedev, [Stefanos] Tsitsipas. These are all guys who either were or are now in the top 10, Medvedev was number one.”, reports the Express.
Djokovic added: “They will be around for a while with the younger ones. However, I assume you mean Sinner and Alcaraz. Over the last 12 months, the two have developed an incredible rivalry and that’s what’s really catching people’s attention. People may not follow tennis as such, but everyone follows great rivalries.”
Once he retires from tennis, Djokovic wants to focus on his business ventures, and has expressed a desire to improve his skills in music and the arts. He even plans to pursue acting, saying: “I am interested in many things. I still want to learn to play the saxophone, to really learn. A few years ago I played decently for a while, but then I became bad because I didn’t practice enough and regularly.”
He continued: “I would like to learn to sing, to play some instruments. Saxophone is number one, but I would like to learn to play the others as well. I would like to learn and act in the theatre, I love the theatre. Theatre above all, but I also like movies.”
“I prefer live interaction though. I love comedy and try to pick up some tricks from friends who are actors. I would like to start painting and drawing and making things.”
On his business ventures, Djokovic said: “I’m also very passionate about things related to health, recovery, I’m interested in sports science, biotechnology… It’s a big list of things that I’m interested in, some of my investments are in those fields and I’m trying in different partnerships to develop brands.”
“My team and I try to bring everything together to make a group of strong brands. I would like to expand my brand beyond tennis, beyond philanthropy, into the world of business, wellness and more.”