Novak Djokovic remains hugely competitive at the apex of tennis, yet retirement questions continue to loom.
After all, at 38 years old, he is competing against superstars who are nearly half his age, and has struggled to trouble them consistently in recent years.
However, his start to the 2026 season in Melbourne reinforced his reasoning behind wanting to continue, having beaten Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the Australian Open before taking the opening set off Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
And yet, when asked why he continues to play tennis, Novak Djokovic listed two reasons, neither of which involved the current top-two players in the men’s game.
Novak Djokovic reveals the inspiration for why he is still playing tennis
He instead told reporters after his opening-round win at Indian Wells: “I find inspiration in many different things. First and foremost, I really love tennis. I am passionate about this sport and about competing. I love the thrill of stepping onto the court, hearing your name, listening to the score, and feeling those nerves.
“Billie Jean King said that pressure is a privilege, right? And I really resonate with that. It means you are doing something important, something worthwhile.
“Especially when you are an individual athlete, you have nowhere to hide. There are many emotions that you have to face on the court. That teaches me many lessons and reminds me of what I also need to work on emotionally.”
Then, noting specifically why he remains present on the ATP Tour, Djokovic added: “I still have great support from my family. Seeing my wife, my kids, my brothers, and my parents cheering for me remains a great motivation. Before being a father, I dreamed that my kids would be old enough to understand what is happening on the court and what their father does.
“Now I am at a stage where I can have pretty good rallies with my son. He will probably beat me soon. My son is 11 years old… I don’t know if I will last on the circuit until he is 18.
“Today there was a full stadium for my first match. Feeling that energy, that atmosphere, the support, and the love is one of the main reasons why I continue moving forward.”
Djokovic has admitted he has struggled with the conditions in Indian Wells in recent years, but it’s clear that there are tournaments where he will fancy his chances of troubling Alcaraz and Sinner in the coming months.
Novak Djokovic insists he knows when he wants to retire from tennis
Despite all the fanfare around the conclusion of his career, Djokovic continues to attest that he will keep playing at least until the 2028 LA Olympic Games.
And, speaking at his press conference after beating Kamil Majchrzak, he reinforced that notion once again.
The Serbian superstar stated, when asked about that goal: “Yeah, it would be nice. That’s one of the long-term goals, let’s call it, a way to reach the Olympics. That would be nice. I mentioned it a couple of times in the last year or so.
“You know, it’s still a long way. I think at my age and my stage of my career, every year seems like, you know, longer period than for anyone else who is younger. But I’ll try to make it, definitely one of the motivations, so try to be there.”