“I feel like the Australian Open is going to be his last major tournament to play,” Rennae Stubbs declared, voicing her thoughts on Novak Djokovic’s future after his US Open semi-final loss to Carlos Alcaraz. Yet, the irony lies in the Serbian’s form this season: four Grand Slam semi-finals, one halted by health, three ended by the Alcaraz-Sinner duo. His relentless chase for a record 25th Slam still burns bright, but Stubbs now finds herself under fire as waves of Serbian fans are accusing her of questioning his legacy.

Speaking on her Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast on October 20, she questioned what truly drives Djokovic now that he has conquered it all. “He’s not trying to win another Masters 1000 or a 500, he has got all the records, there is no reason for him to play anymore. I just think mentally it’s such a grind,” Stubbs said, her tone more reflective than dismissive. But in the digital age, nuance often drowns beneath the noise.

The former Serena Williams coach insists that her words were twisted, her intent lost in translation, her respect for Djokovic unwavering. Yet her words sparked a storm she never saw coming. Novak Djokovic stands as one of the most accomplished athletes in tennis history, with 24 Grand Slam titles, 428 weeks at world No. 1, countless ATP 1000 crowns, ATP Finals trophies, and an Olympic gold to his name. His record is a monument to dominance, discipline, and defiance. 

Soon after, headlines twisted her sentiment into something far harsher, though she had demanded Djokovic’s retirement rather than pondered it. The backlash was swift and fierce. Thousands of Serbian fans flooded her mentions, accusing her of disrespecting their national hero.

Addressing the uproar on the following Monday’s podcast episode, Stubbs voiced her frustration over the distortion. “These people that take out like little snippets from our podcast, and then they put it up as a headline,” she said. “Like, this is what she said. And it was kind of along the lines of me saying that Novak Djokovic should just stop and there’s no reason for him to keep playing, because he’s not winning anymore, right?”

Clarifying further, she added, “Sort of paraphrasing. It was not at all what I said. It never is. And I’ll say it again, he doesn’t need to keep playing in tennis anymore, because he’s achieved everything.” Her intent, she explained, was admiration, not criticism.

Stubbs continued, “When you’re the greatest player of all time, who’s won the most Grand Slams of all time. And I think, and so my words, of course, they take that one line, and then they put it up as a headline, and then of course, 65,000 Serbians decide to go after me for saying something like that, taken out of context.”

She ended with both defiance and grace: “So it drives me crazy. Then, and then you say, well, just ignore them. And that is all true. I could ignore them. But the point is those comments are taken out of context. If you kept going on my comments, my next comment was, I hope he keeps playing. We love him in the draw.”

While Stubbs has now clarified her stance, the debate around Djokovic’s future continues to swirl, even as the Serbian great himself hints at shaping his own farewell, on his own terms, with the same fire that built his empire.

Jelena Djokovic’s candid story about Novak’s retirement

Jelena Djokovic has always been more than a partner in Novak Djokovic’s journey; she has been his anchor, his mirror, and at times, his savior. When the Serbian icon recently hinted that he could continue playing well into his 40s, few were surprised. After all, Jelena once predicted that her husband would never be able to resist the magnetic pull of tennis, even when he once stood on the edge of walking away from it all.

It was nearly seven years ago that Djokovic, beaten down by injuries, frustration, and fatigue, almost bid farewell to the sport that defined him. At that point, he had claimed only half of his eventual Grand Slam haul, his mind weary and his spirit dimmed. He gathered his team and spoke words no one thought they’d hear from him. “He wanted to quit. He gathered all the members of his team and told them, ‘You know what, I’m done, I’m quitting.’ We cried and told him that he couldn’t do it, that it wasn’t the right time,” Jelena recounted in a 2020 conversation.

She remembered those days vividly, the silence of a champion who didn’t even want to see a ball. “He didn’t want to play tennis, and he didn’t even want to see a ball pass in front of him,” she said. Sponsors were informed, plans were made, and for a moment, it seemed the Djokovic era had reached its end.

But Jelena refused to let the story close. Drawing on love, patience, and instinct, she found a way to reignite his fire. She began taking their children, Stefan and Tara, to the tennis court every day, letting joy replace pressure.

“He didn’t want to know anything about it,” Jelena said. “But I love tennis and I take the kids to the court every day. On the third day, Novak arrived. He saw we were having fun, and it wasn’t the intense training he was accustomed to for years.”

That moment became a turning point. Novak asked for a racket, and Jelena refused, teasing him playfully. “I started teasing him, saying he had quit and now it was our turn to play tennis.” But the competitor in him stirred again. He served, felt good, and kept returning until he finally called his longtime coach Marian Vajda to begin training anew.

Today, that same hunger still burns. With his wife’s unwavering faith echoing behind him, Djokovic now prepares to battle again, this time at the ATP 250 in Athens from November 4. 

The dream of a 25th Grand Slam still glows on the horizon, and the fire that once almost went out now blazes brighter than ever.