E-Paper
Sign In
Tue, Jan 13, 2026 | Rajab 24, 1447 | Fajr 05:44 | DXB 
20.4°C
iPhone | iPad
Android
Dubai: Novak Djokovic says he won't retire from tennis any time soon
The tennis legend used to also play football in his youth, but had to make a difficult decision and stop playing it
Novak Djokovic, ranked as the world No.4 in men’s singles with the most major titles, said he isn’t thinking about retiring anytime soon. The 38-year-old Grand Slam dominator said that although he once said the 2028 Summer Olympics was a “guiding star”, he now believes that there is “no limit.”
“I just keep going. I love hitting the tennis ball. And I love competing,” he said. “As long as you really feel like you're playing on a high level and your body holds on, why not?” Djokovic was speaking at the World Sports Summit, a two-day elite sports event taking place in Madinat Jumeirah.
‘Adversity is strength’
During the session, which was moderated by CNN journalist Cari Champion, Djokovic said young athletes need to face adversity for them to be better.
“I think in the face of adversity, we grow the most. Do I wish that everybody goes through war in order for them to become mentally strong? No, of course not. But I think that it's important to create the circumstances and environment for a young athlete (for them) to be challenged mentally and physically in order to get the most out of themselves,” the record-breaking tennis player said.
He was speaking at the World Sports Summit, a two-day elite sports event taking place in Madinat Jumeirah.
Recommended For You
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
“Growing up in adversity, you want success even more,” he said, referring to the Yugoslav Wars that seized the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. “Because you have something to prove not just to yourself, to close people in your life, to your family, but to everybody else who is watching you.”
Divine intervention
At just 10 years old, Djokovic was balancing between several different sports. He used to ski near the mountains where he lived and was meant to follow in the footsteps of his father, who was a professional skier at the time. The tennis legend used to also play football in his youth, but had to make a difficult decision and stop playing it.
He admitted that it was a struggle for his parents to sustain all those sports at the same time, so Djokovic had to commit to one. “Tennis came as a sign of a destiny for me. I was four or five years of age and they were building three tennis courts in front of the restaurant business that my parents used to own,” he said.
Tennis was and still is an expensive sport, and during Djokovic’s youth, his country was still unfamiliar with it. He said that it was a big leap for his parents to support him in his tennis endeavours but that it paid off in the long run.
“Everything happens for a reason in life. It was a divine intervention, in a sense, for me to really be presented to tennis. And I fell in love with it,” Djokovic added.
Hind Aldah
Hind Aldah covers business, tech, crypto and all that jazz for a younger audience. In her spare time, you will find her playing classical guitar, painting amateur oil paintings, or crocheting the same old scarf that leads nowhere.
Don’t just scroll. Know it all. Sign up for your daily UAE news fix.
Get the top stories of the day right in your inbox.
