"Novak Djokovic doesn't care about rankings anymore" - Andy Roddick assesses 'next phase' of Serb's career after his Paris Masters withdrawal
Andy Roddick has shared his perspective on how Novak Djokovic will approach the next phase of his career with regard to his tournament schedule. Roddick's remarks were prompted by the Serb's decisions about the 2024 Paris Masters and ATP Finals.
Djokovic recently withdrew from the Paris Masters, choosing to forgo his title defense at the Masters 1000 event. Although the Serb clinched the sixth spot in the Race to the ATP Finals following the Asian swing, his decision puts his qualification for the prestigious event at risk.
However, the 37-year-old has previously opened up about not chasing a place in the year-end championships, explaining that his main priorities were competing in Grand Slams and representing Serbia at team events.
On the latest episode of the 'Served with Andy Roddick' podcast, Roddick discussed how Novak Djokovic's apparent indifference towards the ATP Finals had boosted Tommy Paul's chances of qualification, as the American holds the 10th spot in the Race to Turin.
"The other thing, talking about being 10th in the Race to Turin, Novak has said that he's not playing Turin. He said he has no interest in playing Turin. Now, he can always change his mind but simply, I'm not great at math but if someone ahead of you is not playing, then that means you're in ninth," Roddick said.
The former World No. 1 also asserted that Djokovic's withdrawal from the Paris Masters didn't come as a surprise, since the Serb had made it clear that he was being very selective about the tournaments he chose to compete in.
"That makes sense (regarding Djokovic's Paris Masters withdrawal). I mean Novak has said that in so many words and we don't want this to take the focus away from Tommy Paul, but Novak is going to pick and choose his spots now," he said.
Andy Roddick also emphasized that the 24-time Grand Slam champion would now arrange his schedule to maximize matches before the Majors. He expressed his belief that the World No. 4 no longer cared about the rankings, especially after setting the record for the longest reign as World No. 1 with 428 weeks at the top spot.
"He's going to try to juggle the schedule, where he gets enough matches before Majors but really, my interpretation of how Novak is talking is that he doesn't care about rankings anymore," the American said.
"He knows what he's been, can't take away the number one ranking forever. He's had it more weeks than anyone. This is how the next phase of his career is going to go, where he picks and chooses his spots, doesn't care about Paris, isn't going to play Turin," he added.
Novak Djokovic addresses concerns about his motivation: "I still have the drive, so I feel sorry for those who want me to retire"
Novak Djokovic recently addressed the concerns surrounding his motivation, admitting that the demands of the tour, especially being away from his children, were becoming increasingly "difficult" for him to handle.
In an interview with La Nacion, the Serb confessed that he didn't want to spend prolonged periods away from home. However, Djokovic emphasized that he still possessed the drive to compete, jokingly commiserating with those who were eagerly awaiting his retirement.
"Traveling and finding motivation is becoming more difficult for me. It’s not easy. And even less so with children. I don’t want to be away from home for so long, but I still have the drive. So I feel sorry for those who want me to retire, because they will have to see me for a while longer," he said.
The 37-year-old also expressed confidence in his ability to add to his Grand Slam tally, explaining that this goal, along with his desire to represent Serbia in the Davis Cup, fueled his determination to extend his career.
"Deep inside I feel that I still have more Grand Slams to win. What still pushes me to compete, especially in the Grand Slams, is the feeling that I can be a candidate to win it. And also for my country. I love playing the Davis Cup for Serbia," he added.
Novak Djokovic was most recently seen in action at the Six Kings Slam exhibition event, where he suffered a 6-2, 6-7(0), 6-4 loss to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals. Nevertheless, the Serb claimed third place at the event with a 6-2, 7-6(5) win over Rafael Nadal in their final encounter before the Spaniard's retirement.