Are we seeing the end of Novak Djokovic at the ongoing US Open? Well, if recent times are to be believed, Djokovic clearly looks past his best. Additionally, he also skipped the two Masters tournaments, the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open. Although the Serb wants to focus completely on Grand Slams, the enormous rise of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz has made Djokovic wait for his 25th Grand Slam title. Recently, he made clear his post-retirement plans in an interesting revelation.

Yesterday, the Serb opened his campaign at the US Open in style, with a convincing straight-set win over Learner Tien, who has shown a lot of promise of late. He was dominant right from the word go, showing no signs of rustiness despite this being his first singles match after Wimbledon. Subsequently, Djokovic was involved in a fun interaction alongside Fonseca during which he was asked about his plans after his retirement. Djokovic said, “My plan after I retire is to coach Fonseca. I’m going to be very expensive for him, so be ready.”

At just 19, Fonseca has become the talk of the town this year. After winning the ATP Next Gen Finals last year, he won his first ATP Tour title at the Argentina Open this year. The Brazilian star even impressed Novak Djokovic with his performances, who heaped massive praise on him. “He’s been [the] talk of the Tour in the last several months. I mean, deservedly so. He’s a very good tennis player. I mean, so young. Just incredible firepower from both ends of the baseline, serve [as well]. He’s a very complete player,” Djokovic said about Fonseca.

While Fonseca has surely emerged as a next-generation star, the rumors about Djokovic’s retirement have also been swirling. However, Andy Roddick has some firm advice for Djokovic on how to answer the retirement questions.

What did Andy Roddick say about Novak Djokovic’s retirement?

Even as the Serb is toward the fag end of his career, no one can forget his domination on the court, resulting in 24 Grand Slam titles. Although he has failed to reach a Grand Slam final this year, the Serb’s chances can never be ruled out at the Grand Slam level. American legend Andy Roddick felt exactly the same and had a piece of advice for Djokovic on how to tackle retirement questions.

He said, “I mean, he’s playing tennis this year and he’s made three semi-finals in Grand Slams at 38 years old. How about Novak Djokovic and what he’s still doing? Unbelievable. I was watching him right before he came over to the stage. Even in practice, there’s never a shot that looks panicked. It’s always under control, hasn’t played since Wimbledon, but practicing was very… I saw him break him twice in practice. It’s just unbelievable what he’s still doing.”

After a victorious start to the campaign at Flushing Meadows, Djokovic’s path could get trickier ahead. He will next face Zachary Svajda, who is the young 22-year-old local star. The match can be followed on EssentiallySports’ Live Blog. Can Novak Djokovic dig deep at the US Open? Let us know your views in the comments below.