Three months ago, Novak Djokovic was seen leaving the Rod Laver Arena after his 11th AO final well past midnight, racket bag slung over his shoulder, the familiar bounce in his step unshaken by time. At 38, and nearly twenty years into a career that has redefined endurance, he still moves like a man chasing something unseen. Ranked No. 4 in the world with a 7-2 record this season, including his loss to Jack Draper in R16 at Indian Wells, Nole remains a study in persistence. How far does he intend to go?

The Serbian has answered the question of retirement one more time, this time in an interview with Esquire Australia, and his response was typically direct and very personal.

“What keeps me going is first and foremost my love for the game. Tennis has been my life for so long, and I still enjoy every moment on the court. I love the competition, I love the challenge, and I still feel strong and capable of competing with the younger players — that’s a big part of the fun for me,” Djokovic said.

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It is not a new sentiment, but the belief is impressive for a player of his age. Djokovic has not won another Grand Slam since his 2023 US Open victory, his 24th major, but has reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slams in 2025, losing each time to either Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner. At his last Grand Slam, Nole lost to Alcaraz in the 2026 AO final, who achieved his Career Grand Slam in the process, and the search for a 25th Grand Slam for the Serb continues. 

“But I don’t feel like I’ve ‘completed’ tennis,” he added. “My motivation to keep playing comes from my love for the game, from competition, and from challenging myself.”

That framing matters. At this point, Djokovic is not out there to amass trophies; he is out there because it is more difficult for him to stop. How far his body will support him is a question to be answered separately, and one which he approached with typical practicality.

“At this stage of my career, preparation isn’t just about training harder. It’s about training smarter, listening to my body, and making sure I’m at my best physically and mentally so I can compete at the highest level,” he said.

The Serbian has become very picky regarding his schedule. He only plays selective tournaments during the calendar, except for the four Grand Slams, choosing them on his own terms and the one that motivates him the most. The last match he played was on March 12 at the Indian Wells, where he went down against British No. 1 Jack Draper in a three-set thriller. After that, he has missed the Miami Open and Monte-Carlo Masters but is expected to return at the Madrid Open. 

The other aspect that contributes to the motivation of Djokovic is his family. His children are now growing, and school life makes traveling more difficult; the tug of war between life on the tour and that of home is one thing he has had to balance with more caution.

“It’s one of the biggest challenges — finding the right balance between tennis and family life, especially as my children are growing and have school commitments, so they can’t travel with me as much as before,” he acknowledged.

To Djokovic, it is not just about ranking numbers or the records of the Grand Slams anymore; it is also about what he sets as an example to his children on the court.

“When I’m on the court, I’m motivated not just to win, but to set an example — to show them values like dedication, resilience, and love for what you do. That motivation is very powerful and very personal,” he said.

It is a new breed of motivation as opposed to the one that propelled a young Djokovic to relegate Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to the top of the world. However, it is perhaps a more sustainable one in a way. He will then look forward to being back on the clay season at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, where he has won 9 titles combined throughout his career, before taking the other three slams, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open later in the year.

The farewells keep being postponed, great news for all the tennis fans worldwide, but he has decided on a last destination. 

Novak Djokovic has his eyes set on LA 2028

Amid the personal reasons that Novak Djokovic explained, the passion of the game, the competition, and the role model he can offer to his children, there is a point that turned out to be his particular goal. The 38-year-old has been categorical about how he wants to end the book of his career. 

“I wish to retire at the 2028 Olympic Games with the Serbian flag in my hands,” Djokovic said.

In one of the most emotionally charged performances of his career, he won the singles gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final. That win completed every major title the sport had to offer. The LA Games, which will take place in July 2028, have become something new to the collection, not a title to be placed alongside the others, but a special farewell stage to a man who has devoted all his life to the sport over a period of over two decades.

He has also admitted, in his usual frankness, that it is not really in his power to get there. 

“Since I’ve achieved absolutely all possible goals, I said about the 2028 Olympics because I wanted to play for so many more years. So maybe ending up at the Olympic Games with the Serbian flag, that would be nice. Will I make it to that point? I don’t know, I mean, I really don’t know, because there are some things that are not entirely in my control. I’m trying to be as healthy as possible mentally and physically,” he said.

That caveat matters. Djokovic already withdrew this year due to a right shoulder injury in the Monte-Carlo Masters and Miami, and the capacity of the body to sustain more than two more years of competitive tennis at the top is a real question. The LA 2028 Games will be underway when he is 41 years old.

How this last chapter is written will depend on what his schedule will be between now and then, the tournaments he is targeting, the absences he has under control, and the judicious planning of effort. The destination is decided, but the journey to it is not.