Novak Djokovic is no stranger to defying expectations. Last year, he had just lost the Wimbledon final to a young Carlos Alcaraz. Just months before that, it was the Australian Open final against Jannik Sinner. Yet, by the time the Olympics rolled around, there he was, proving himself in every game, and capping it off with a gold medal. At Wimbledon 2025, Novak Djokovic is proving once again why he’s one of the greatest ever. On July 5, he marked a historic milestone, his 100th career match win at Wimbledon, defeating Miomir Kecmanovic in straight sets (6‑3, 6‑0, 6‑4).

Now headed to the fourth round to face Alex de Minaur, Djokovic continues to defy age at 38, putting on what fans call “god-mode tennis.” But despite the brilliance, Djokovic just offered a rare look behind the curtain, and it’s not all glory.

Recently, a moment captured by journalist Sasa Ozmo caught fans’ attention. Shared in a post on X, he asked Djokovic why so many players today are feeling burnt out or turning to antidepressants. His reply? Painfully honest. “Tennis has the longest season of all global sports 🎾. For most who play the full schedule, it’s from January 1 to late November. Other sports have more competitions now too, but tennis is individual — there are no substitutes,” he said. He’s not exaggerating. The ATP Tour begins as early as late December or January 1 and stretches all the way to late November, leaving players with just a few weeks to rest, if that. In 2024, for example, the tour started on December 29, 2023, and ended on November 24, 2024, covering more than 70 tournaments globally. That’s nearly an 11-month season.

In team sports like basketball or football, there are rotations, substitutions, and scheduled breaks. If a player needs rest, they can sit out a game or be replaced mid-match. Tennis doesn’t allow that luxury. If you’re sick, mentally drained, or nursing an injury, you still have to show up. There’s no bench to call from, no one to tag in. It’s just you, alone on court, every time. Djokovic added: “No ‘I don’t feel good today, can you sub in for me for five minutes so I can rest’…” And that’s the reality.

There’s no margin for error in tennis. Every point affects your ranking, your entry into major events, your sponsorships, and ultimately your career trajectory. One bad week and you can tumble in the rankings. A missed tournament means lost points and lost momentum. Novak Djokovic said it best: “Here, every point matters, every day matters.”

And finally, the most cutting part of his answer: “If you want to reach the highest heights, you have to transform your entire life in service of tennis and sport. You lose yourself…” That’s not just a dramatic line. It’s a truth many of today’s stars are echoing. Carlos Alcaraz said in September 2024 about the schedule, “Probably they are going to kill us in some way”. Alexander Zverev echoed it in 2024, “It’s the longest season in sports. It’s unnecessarily long. We have an unnecessary amount of tournaments.”

 So when Novak Djokovic says, “You lose yourself, it’s too big of a bite for most,” it isn’t a metaphor; it’s a warning. Tennis might be beautiful, but it’s also relentless. And the athletes who give their lives to it are now speaking out, one by one, asking a tough question: how long can even the best keep going under this kind of pressure?  And for Djokovic, this isn’t the first time he’s raised the alarm.

Novak Djokovic deepens his criticism of tennis’s broken structure at Wimbledon 2024

Back in 2021, Novak Djokovic was already sounding the alarm about tennis’s grueling schedule. During the French Open that year, he openly supported switching Grand Slams to best-of-three sets, explaining, “We have the longest season of any sport in the world… from January 1 to the end of November. Literally every single week you have a tournament somewhere.” It was a rare moment of blunt truth from the sport’s most decorated player, revealing just how unsustainable the calendar had become even for someone at the very top.

Fast forward to Wimbledon, and Djokovic’s concerns have only deepened, but with a more urgent tone. This time, he issued a stark warning: “Tennis is endangered.” While he no longer advocates removing five-set matches altogether — calling them an essential part of Grand Slam tradition,  he suggested an updated format: best-of-three in the early rounds, and five sets from the fourth round or quarterfinals onward. His reasoning? The physical and mental toll on players, the sport’s struggle to engage younger audiences, and the rapid rise of rivals like Formula 1 in global marketing. “We need to do a better job on our tours,” he said, highlighting how tennis remains under-leveraged despite being one of the most watched sports in the world.

Beyond formats and fanbases, Novak Djokovic spotlighted a deeper crisis: survival at the grassroots level. He revealed that just 350–400 players globally make a sustainable living from tennis, calling it “deeply concerning.” Rising court alternatives like padel and pickleball, he warned, are beginning to outcompete tennis simply because they’re cheaper and more profitable. “You can build three padel courts on one tennis court,” he said, cautioning that if nothing changes, clubs will continue to abandon tennis. From the pro tour to local courts, Djokovic’s message is clear: without bold, unified action, tennis risks losing not just its edge, but its place.