"Can't tell if Novak Djokovic is motivated...I would never write him off" - Ex-coach Goran Ivanisevic on Serb's 2025 prospects
Goran Ivanisevic has refused to rule out Novak Djokovic's chances of success in 2025. Djokovic recently decided to cut short his 2024 season by withdrawing from the Nitto ATP Finals, finishing the year without a Major or an ATP Tour-level title. The Serb though, did produce some of his best tennis of the season at the Paris Olympics, where he won the men's singles gold for the first time in his career.
Ivanisevic, a former World No. 2 and the Serb's ex-coach who guided the Serb to nine of his 24 Grand Slam titles, believes that the 37-year-old is still in the top bracket of players on his day. Djokovic, despite enduring a rather disappointing season by his standards, still reached the Australian Open semifinals, the French Open quarterfinals, and the final of the Wimbledon Championships.
In an interview with Sportklub, Goran Ivanisevic said that for him, Novak Djokovic is in the same bracket as younger rivals Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have shared the Grand Slam spoils between them in 2024.
"I can't tell if he is motivated and how much, but the moment he decides to play, it means he is motivated. Sinner and Alcaraz are well above the rest, but I put Novak in the group with them - when he's really playing, he's still the best in the world, in my opinion," Ivanisevic told Sportklub.
The 53-year-old, who was recently appointed by Elena Rybakina as her new coach, further opined that the Serb can win more Majors, despite the prevailing dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz.
"Another thing is how much he wants to play and when - we saw it at the Olympics... If he goes on the field, he can still win a slam. It will also depend on what his rank will be, what kind of draw will fall, that is. when he has to play with Sinner or Alcaraz... There are many factors, but can Novak make it happen? Yes, he can. You should never write him off, I would never do that," Ivanisevic added.
The Serb's withdrawal from the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals though, comes with consequences.
Novak Djokovic's ranking to dip further after Serb's ATP Finals withdrawal
Despite currently being the World No. 5, Novak Djokovic's ATP Tour-level ranking may take a significant hit due to his 2024 Nitto ATP Finals withdrawal.
The Serb is certain to fall to 6th because of the 1,300 ranking points he dropped by pulling out of the year-end event. Taylor Fritz is set to become the new World No. 5. These changes will reflect from Monday, November 11, when the rankings are updated.
There's also a chance for the likes of Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev to leapfrog Djokovic in the rankings. However, for this to happen, they would all have to win at least one match in the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals' Round Robin phase. If this does happen though, the former World No. 1 will be seeded outside the top four at the 2025 Australian Open for the first time since 2018.