Should Novak Djokovic call it a day?

On 31st August 2026, Novak Djokovic suffered a shock defeat in the first round of the US Open, losing in five sets to unseeded Uruguayan player Mariano Navone 6-7, 7-5, 6-4, 2-6, 1-6. In a gruelling five-setter, Djokovic was hampered by back and shoulder issues throughout the match and even vomited midway through the match. The 39-year-old Serbian was visibly upset during the final set as his bid for a 25th Slam title went up in smoke. Incidentally, this was his first opening round loss at the US Open in two decades and first Grand Slam opening round loss since the 2006 Australian Open. 

Such has been his consistency and dominance at the Grand Slams over the past decade and a half that this is indeed a very shocking result but it’s one we can understand. Firstly, Djokovic isn’t the same athlete anymore, age catches up with the best eventually. Secondly, the US Open is the last Grand Slam of the year and most players lose form, suffer injury issues and fatigue by the time they arrive at this tournament. Moreover, Djokovic came into the North American hard-court swing without much practice on the hard courts, skipping the National Bank Open in Canada and losing in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters. Lack of practice and loss of form since Wimbledon also contributed to this underwhelming result. 

If we look at this year’s Slams, Djokovic was sensational at both the 2026 Australian Open (Final appearance) and the 2026 Wimbledon Championships (Semi-finals appearance).  However, the two competitions (French Open and the ongoing US Open) where he had a realistic chance to win a Slam title, he failed miserably. With Jannik Sinner ousted in the second round and Carlos Alcaraz absent due to injury at Roland Garros this year, there was a great buzz amongst Djokovic fans that he had the best opportunity for his 25th Slam but he himself exited the competition in the third round, losing to young star João Fonseca in five sets. At the ongoing US Open too he had a great chance with Jannik Sinner absent, Alcaraz returning from a four months injury layoff and Alexander Zverev not in the best of form. Yet again, Djokovic failed to capitalise and ended up getting knocked out in the first round itself. 

His recent performances will again reignite speculation in the tennis world around his retirement announcement. Although he has declared several times that he would like to continue until the LA 2028 Olympics, the questions will be asked again – why delay the inevitable?

His biggest rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have long retired and the Serbian has nothing to prove anymore. However, he remains adamant that he still has one more Slam in him if he can get the better of both Alcaraz and Sinner who have dominated Men’s tennis in recent years. Although it’s not just those two players anymore, Djokovic is now unable to compete even with young upcoming athletes, especially over five gruelling sets. Tennis requires a lot of endurance and stamina, especially on fast courts and even when Djokovic is picking a few tournaments every season, he is still not able to avoid fitness and injury issues. The younger generation is fitter, more agile and powerful. Djokovic doesn’t have the same consistency, physical fitness and agility to go through an entire competition anymore and he doesn’t command the fear factor anymore. In the last two seasons, Djokovic has only won two ATP tour level titles – The Geneva Open (2025) and Athens (2025). This season, he is yet to win a title. The disappointment of going out in the first round of the US Open will definitely hurt him but if a player isn’t fully fit, no matter how good you are, it’s difficult to compete as we saw with a much younger and in-form Sinner at Roland Garros this year. Such kind of performances and results can act as a massive downer and affect the confidence and mentality of any sportsperson, let alone a great one who is struggling.  

Novak Djokovic is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, and if he believes he is still capable of competing with the best and winning major titles, we should trust his judgement. We still believe that if he can manage to keep himself fit and wisely chooses his tournaments next season, he still has an outside chance of winning a 25th Grand Slam title if all the stars align in his favour. He shouldn’t let this US Open upset bother him so much although this would definitely get him thinking. On the flipside, he has already shown this season that he has plenty of fight left in him when he defeated the World No. 1 Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open semi-finals this year. 

In my opinion, Djokovic should hold on for a while more and not yet call it a day. A few of his performances this season have shown that when he is fit, he can not only compete but also win against the Top 10 players. He has a wealth of experience, he is still enjoying his tennis and staying motivated. Djokovic should give himself at least one more season and maybe, just maybe, Djoker fans could be in for a pleasant surprise when he lifts an unprecedented 25th Singles Slam trophy next year.