For Novak Djokovic, age is just a number. On the tennis court, he is unapologetically defiant. Of course, he had a thing or two to say about the 2-week Masters tournaments because of the hectic scheduling that ideally doesn’t pair well with his age. But his focus on the Grand Slams remains unwavering. With a win over Jan-Lennard Struff in the round of 16 of the 2025 US Open, Djokovic has now entered the roster for the quarterfinals. Needless to say, he has broken some records as always, but fell short of breaking one such record by a known foe. 

With his straight-set victory over Struff, Djokovic has reached his 14th US Open men’s singles quarterfinal match. He has surpassed legends like Roger Federer and Andre Agassi, who have 13 US Open men’s singles quarterfinal games in their records. However, the Serbian star fell behind Jimmy Connors, who played 17 US Open men’s singles quarterfinals. On top of that, Djokovic has become the oldest tennis player (38 years and 94 days) in the Open Era to reach the quarterfinals in the men’s singles of all four Grand Slam events in a single season. 

During the post-match press conference, the Serbian addressed the historic run set by Jimmy Connors back in the 1991 US Open. And he was around 39 years old when he became the oldest player to make the fourth round and quarters in the competition. The Serbian was too young, but he remembered it well. Novak Djokovic confessed, “Everyone was, you know, talking about that run being one of the most historic runs we had in sport on any slam, you know, Jimmy Connors being one of the greatest tennis players of all time, and greatest legends in general, overall, globally, but particularly in this tournament. He’s won it what, like five times? And you know, he’s fired up the New York crowd like no other player has done in his career. So, just being the same discussion or same conversation with Jimmy is obviously a huge honor of mine.”

However, this honor came at a cost, an array of injury troubles. We’ve seen him battle toe blisters and lower back issues, very apparent from his multiple medical time-outs at all stages of the tourney. Despite winning the first set against Struff, the enthrall alone wasn’t enough to propel his run. Djokovic had to take some time off and get physiotherapy for the back of his neck, triggering concerns regarding his health and his future in tennis. 

Following his win over Cameron Norrie, he opened up about his health and said, “I’m good, as young as ever, as strong as ever. It’s New York, even if you’re feeling something body-wise, the energy just overrides it.” But with each passing year, he is not getting any younger, making his pace of recovery slower. With age ticking against him, this puts him at a predisposition for more frequent injuries.

Connors’ career was also riddled with injuries. And to ease the pain, he often used painkillers and physiotherapy to deal with it. But the frequent setbacks were enough to force him into retirement. Doesn’t it sound a bit too similar to Djokovic’s stance? So, where can we see the Serbian following his retirement? 

Novak Djokovic talks about his post-retirement plans

Following his battle against Learner Tien, Novak Djokovic revealed his desire to get younger. And the reason was to play a bit more tennis. During the post-match interview, he said, “To be quite honest with you, I mean, I wish I had Learner Tien’s age. But that’s not possible. Actually, he’s double less my age. That’s incredible. But I guess when you come to the late 30s, it’s really about learning how to preserve the energy for what matters… So, I’m trying to dedicate as much time as I possibly can [for recovery], and still kind of balance it with the mental freshness and motivation and sharpness in the court that is necessary in order to compete with the young guys.” 

He simply wasn’t ready to give up his life as a legendary tennis player. And even after retirement, Novak Djokovic plans on being an active figure in the world of tennis. Last week, he even mentioned, that he would like to coach the current no. 1 men’s singles player from Brazil, Joao Fonseca. “My plans after I retire from tennis is to coach Fonseca,” stated the Serbian. He continued, “I’m going to be very expensive for him, so be ready.”  

No doubt, his last day on the court would be a sad one for him as well as for us as fans. But we still have a few more events and Grand Slams to witness Djokovic’s epic performance. 

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