Online Reporter
NOVAK DJOKOVIC’s clay tennis season went from bad to worse last week as he lost his opening match in Madrid.
The Serbian legend enjoyed his best tournament of the season recently, when Djokovic reached the final of the Miami Open, coming up short against Jakub Mensik.
Unable to carry that momentum through to the clay season, Djokovic lost to Alejandro Tabilo in his opener at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Attempting to bounce back in Madrid, Djokovic then fell to defeat against Matteo Arnaldi, as his clay record slumped to 0-2 in 2025.
Deciding not to play the year’s third clay Masters 1000 event, Djokovic withdrew from the Italian Open, and is next scheduled to appear at the French Open.
One ATP Tour legend has now given his thoughts on Djokovic’s recent struggles and suggested the 24-time Major champion could potentially retire from tennis later this year.
Speaking on the Australian Open YouTube channel, former doubles star Todd Woodbridge explained the new problem Djokovic is facing.
“The new scenario, which he’s got to think about. He’s now losing to people he’s never lost to, and they’re all starting to go out there, going ‘Oh, this could be my chance now’,” he said.
“The invincibility factor has worn down, and he’s got to make that decision, and it seems like he’s made it by pulling out of Rome. I’m going to go on what I’ve done before. I’m going to go on my reputation, my aura, into Roland Garros and see if I can pull that off.
“But it’s hard because physically, you can see he’s not bouncing back the way he was before.”
Woodbridge believes the next few months will be “critical” for the future of Djokovic’s tennis career.
“These next five, six weeks, are critical for Novak (Djokovic),” he said.
“If he can perform well in Paris, we’ll see him stick around, if he doesn’t, Wimbledon, most definitely he’s a contender and he’ll be there, but then I think the rest of the season, his future, we’re going to have to wait and see what he decides to do. Ultimately, given the way he has spoken in the media, we may be looking at a time where we see him join Rafa (Nadal) and Roger (Federer).
“The game will have moved on past one of the greatest eras of all time.”
Nadal retired from tennis upon the conclusion of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals, two years after Federer called it quits at the Laver Cup.
The Australian went on to highlight how hard Djokovic worked over the years, and explained how that could play a role in his decision to keep playing or retire. — thetennisgazette/Sports Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter