"Never seen Novak Djokovic so relaxed";"What it feels like to complete your life goals" - Fans react to Serb disclosing lack of long-term career plans
Novak Djokovic recently disclosed that he has no long-term plans regarding his career. Given that the Serb achieved his long-desired goal of clinching his maiden Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Games, tennis fans suggested that the 37-year-old's newfound relaxed attitude stemmed from having accomplished all his professional goals.
Following his triumphant campaign with Serbia at the Davis Cup, Djokovic arrived in Bulgaria for a blockbuster exhibition match against Grigor Dimitrov. Dimitrov triumphed in front of his home crowd, claiming a 6-4, 2-6 [10-6] win over the World No. 4.
During a press conference at the event, the Serb revealed that, for the time in his career, he has no long-term plans for his professional future and is enjoying "living in the moment."
"For the first time in my career, I have no long-term plans. I'm living for the moment and we'll see what happens. Today I will play in Sofia, then in China, and then at a demonstration tournament in Saudi Arabia. After that, I don't know. We'll see how I feel and judge," Djokovic said (via TennisKafe).
Tennis fans were delighted to see Novak Djokovic so relaxed after "sacrificing everything" to complete all his life goals.
"Genuinely never seen him so relaxed. Sacrificed everything, achieved everything and did it all his own way," one fan commented.
"A lot of people say the Olympic gold is a nothing burger... I feel like that's all Djokovic wanted to end his career. He has nothing left to prove," another fan chimed in.
"So this is what it feels like to complete your life goals," said another.
While one fan lamented that it was "sad" that the 24-time Grand Slam champion was potentially nearing retirement, others were thrilled to see him enjoying the fruits of his labor.
"Sad to see him a step before retirement but he has more than earned it. Absolutely legendary player and i hope he gets to have an awesome exit as well," one fan posted.
"So this is what it feels to have accomplished all your goals and found enlightenment. Good for him," another fan wrote.
"Homie is just frolicking through the fields of his trophies," a fan commented.
"Obsessed with this new djoker era we're all in, it's so fun to see him so chill," said yet another.
Novak Djokovic: "Family life is very important to me, I want to be with my wife and children, to be a part of their everyday life"
During the same press conference, Novak Djokovic also emphasized his desire to be more involved in the daily lives of his wife Jelena and their kids Stefan and Tara, something he had been unable to do for many years due to the demanding tour schedule.
The Serb admitted that while he still aimed to chase more titles and break more records, he had to be "sensible" regarding his scheduling decisions to prioritize his family life.
"Family life is very important to me. I want to be with my wife and children, to be a part of their everyday life - something I haven't been able to do for many years. I have to balance things out, so we'll see. I still want to chase titles and records, but at the same time I have to be sensible and prioritize certain tournaments over others," he said.
Djokovic recently also ruled out the 2024 ATP Finals as a goal, disclosing that he "isn't chasing a place" in the top eight for the year-end championships. However, the 24-time Grand Slam champion remains in contention to compete at the prestigious event, currently holding the ninth spot in the race rankings, trailing closely behind Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev.