“Hopefully it’s not my last match on the Centre Court. I’m not planning to finish my Wimbledon career today.” A disheartened, but spirited Novak Djokovic said last week after failing to accomplish his 25th slam, yet again. Following the debacle in Melbourne and then Paris, the 24-time slam king was hoping to make it happen on the Centre Court. But fate had other plans as World No.1 Jannik Sinner broke his dream. However, the Serbian still believes he’s got a lot of tennis left in his veins. But, amidst all the retirement chatter around Djokovic, Serena Williams’ ex-coach has shared her perspective on how and when the 38-year-old might hang up his racket.

Nevertheless, after his Wimbledon run, the Serbian’s father revealed what’s in the cards for Djokovic after the retirement. Srdjan Djokovic said, “When Novak finishes his tennis career, he will live in his city, Belgrade, his country Serbia.” This made the 38-year-old’s fandom speculate about the tennis star’s future. But it was not certain when he would retire.

But former tennis icon and Serena Williams‘ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs has made a wild prediction on the Serbian’s tennis future. According to her, it seems the farewell appearance maybe on its way. But where does she think the former World No.1 would like to call it a day? “I think he has sort of hinted that the last Grand Slam will be the Australian Open,” said Stubbs in an episode of her podcast, as reported by Tennis365 on July 14. But why only the Australian Open?

Stubbs explained, “I think the reason for that is because it has been his most successful, winning it (10) times. I think it’s not a bad way for him to go out if he decides to. It has clearly been the best place for him to win a Grand Slam. If he can get to 25, that is probably where he is going to do it.”

While he had a strong chance at the 2025 Wimbledon, “that has slipped away”, she underlined. But now it seems the Australian Open “is where he wants to finish his career, and that is where I think probably will be his last Grand Slam.” While doubts on his career’s longevity are escalating each day, Djokovic’s not willing to embrace setbacks. Instead, he’s opted to stay more on the court and prepare for his last slam of this season.

Novak Djokovic breaks 7-year streak to prepare for the US Open

For the uninitiated, Novak Djokovic will compete at the upcoming Canadian Open Masters. Yes, it’s the same event he’s skipped for the last seven years. He last played here in the year 2018. Interestingly, he’s enjoyed a lot of success here on previous occasions. The Serbian even won the title four times (2007, 2011, 2012, and 2016) and was a runner-up in 2015 edition.

In his last campaign at the ATP 1000 Masters event, in 2018, Djokovic ended up in the R16 before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas. A year ago, Djokovic missed the Canadian Open due to commitments at the Paris Olympics where he eventually clinched the Gold. But the 24-time slam winner’s journey won’t be easy going into this hard court tournament. Why?

The line-up is stacked with other stars, too, such as the newly crowned Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner. Plus, Carlos Alcaraz will be seen as well, unleashing the fire from his racket. In simple words, Djokovic will have a tough time in order to emerge victorious and capture his fifth trophy. But his main focus will be the US Open.

However, the biggest and inevitable question at the moment is: can he really lift a 25th slam trophy at the Flushing Meadows?