Novak Djokovic to 'say goodbye to tennis' this year as Murray's ex-coach raises suspicions
Novak Djokovic has been backed to call time on his career in the near future.
Andy Murray’s former coach Mark Petchey has predicted that Novak Djokovic may bid farewell to tennis later this year. Petchey has a theory that the 24-time Grand Slam winner could bow out of the sport after trying to win Olympic gold in Paris.
Djokovic has never won gold at the Olympics. It is one of the only major honours that have eluded him during a glittering career.
The Serb has struggled for form and fitness this year, and was dumped out of the Italian Open by Alejandro Tabilo on Sunday. Djokovic complained about feeling the effects of being accidentally struck on the head while signing autographs after his first-round win over Corentin Moutet.
He now has just under two weeks to prepare for the first round of the French Open. Djokovic remains one of the favourites to win the tournament but the World No. 1 will quickly need to rediscover his best form.
Tennis coach Petchey has raised concerns that Djokovic is heading towards the end of his career and will call it quits later this year, particularly if he wins an Olympic gold medal in Paris.
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Petchey tweeted about the 36-year-old: "Anyone else getting a Paris Olympics massive push for the one thing Novak doesn’t have and then Au Revoir to tennis? Starting to get Sampras 2002 vibes. Still have him in the favourite category for [Roland Garros] and Wimbledon but to be this great for so long takes incredible sacrifice.”
It was a frustrating few days in Rome for Djokovic. He cruised beyond World No. 83 Moutet in the first round and would have hoped for a strong run to the latter stages of the tournament.
Despite jokingly wearing a cycling helmet to a practice session, Djokovic appeared to have been impacted by the bizarre bottle incident. He revealed that he received medical attention in the hours after his victory over Moutet.
Anyone else getting a Paris Olympics massive push for the one thing Novak doesn’t have and then Au Revoir to tennis?
— Mark Petchey (@_markpetchey) May 12, 2024
Starting to get Sampras 2002 vibes.
Still have him in the favourite category for RG and Wimbledon but to be this great for so long takes incredible sacrifice.
"That has really impacted me a lot. After that I got medical care, [and went] through half-an-hour [to] an hour of nausea, dizziness and blood," Djokovic said afterwards.
"I managed to sleep OK, I had headaches. The next day, or yesterday, was pretty fine, so I thought it's OK. Maybe it is OK, maybe it's not.
"The way I felt on the court today was just completely like a different player entered into my shoes. Just no rhythm, no tempo, no balance whatsoever on any shot. It's a bit concerning."