Novak Djokovic stands as the last great titan of 21st-century tennis. But at 38, the whispers of retirement are only growing louder. In every tournament these past months, Nole faces the same question about hanging up the racket. His response? Always the same in different words. “I still enjoy competing; I can be very demanding of myself and my team, I know that, but I still feel that I have game left, you know, to play at the highest level.” The Grand Slams this year didn’t go his way, yet there are still many convinced that his Slam story isn’t finished.

For Djokovic, it isn’t just age that poses a challenge. The force of the “New Two” does as well. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz—the current World No.1 and No.2—have consistently tested the Serbian icon. Yet, on the ‘Super Moscato Show’ on RMC, Yannick Noah, now captain of Team Europe in the Laver Cup, backed Djokovic for Slam glory. He spoke openly about a possible 25th Grand Slam title.

“Against Alcaraz at the US Open, he played a good match, despite the three-set defeat. It came down to seven or eight points, but Alcaraz won them. You can blame that on youth, but I haven’t forgotten that for Nadal, we always said at the beginning of the season before he won his last Grand Slams: it’s over. As long as Novak plays, he’s always dangerous,” Noah said with conviction. And he might just be right.

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic reignited their generational showdown under the lights at the US Open on September 5. The 22-year-old Spaniard outplayed the 38-year-old Serb 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-2, booking his seventh Slam final and second in New York. For two hours and 25 minutes, they delivered a gripping spectacle on Arthur Ashe Stadium. This time, Alcaraz got his payback after losses to Djokovic at the Australian Open and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Yet the Serb hasn’t exactly been playing badly either.

This season, he has played fewer events. Even so, he has reached the semifinals of every Slam. At the Australian Open, he didn’t actually lose, he retired in the semis after a hamstring injury he picked up during his quarterfinal against Alcaraz. Noah used that very example to underline sport’s unpredictability. “In a tournament, you never know what can happen.”

He even pointed to Nole’s rivals to make the case. “Sinner was completely dominated by Dimitrov before he retired at Wimbledon. You can never plan ahead. As long as he’s in the top three or four, he can always win one.” For Novak Djokovic, missing events, not losses, has cost him ranking points this year.

And that’s something he’s not worrying about. “Ranking is not my priority anymore – whether I add one, five or ten more weeks, it doesn’t concern me, I think I’ve done pretty well in that department (smiling),” he said last year when Jannik Sinner was on the verge of overtaking him at No.1. The bigger question now is how he’ll fare against the “New Two” as this season draws to a close.

Novak Djokovic makes his stance on competing clear

After his US Open exit, Novak Djokovic offered honesty at the mic. Not the heavy Wimbledon mood when he admitted he hoped it wasn’t his last time on the big stage. This time, there was grit, and a dose of reality. “I’m not giving up on Grand Slams, I’m going to continue fighting,” Djokovic said. “I still want to play a full Grand Slam season next year. They are just different from any other tournament. They are the pillars of our sport.”

The challenge is clear. Alcaraz and Sinner have split the last seven Slams, shaping a new order. Djokovic has warned that only peak fitness will keep him in the fight. And in a twist, it mirrors what he said in 2023, when retirement talk first crept in.

That season, after beating the Italian at the year-end finals—his last win over the Italian—he made a bold prediction. “What I said on the court for Jannik, I really mean it. Very nice guy. Great values. His family, entire team. He deserves his success. He needs to keep going because he’s definitely on the right path. I’m not the only one who is saying he can win Slams and be number 1 in the world. I would be very surprised if that doesn’t happen. I don’t know if it’s next year or the year to come. He’s 22. He has a lot of time ahead of him. Rune, Alcaraz and him are the ‘Big Three – next ‘Big Three’, if you want to call them. They are going to carry this sport.” He was right on Sinner and Alcaraz.

Now, it’s up to Novak Djokovic to prove he still has a Slam left in him. The Serbian star has three months until the next major. He’s skipping both the Davis Cup and Laver Cup but will tune up in Athens at the ATP 250 in November. What’s your take on this? Share your thoughts below!