Novak Djokovic aims to continue his professional career into his 40s and says he draws inspiration from LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tom Brady.
“Longevity is one of my biggest motivations. I really want to see how far I can go,” Djokovic said Thursday at the Joy Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ahead of his appearance at the Six Kings Slam. “If you look at global sports in general, LeBron James is still going strong at 40 years old. Cristiano Ronaldo and Tom Brady played until they were about 40 years old. It’s unbelievable.”
“They inspire me too, so I want to keep going. That’s one of my motivations.”
The 38-year-old Djokovic has not won a Grand Slam title in two years, having been surpassed by Carlos Alcaraz and Yannick Ciner, but says he is not yet considering hanging up his racket as he seeks his 25th major to break the record for most Grand Slam singles titles by a man or a woman.
Djokovic’s comments on Thursday took a different tone from what he said after this year’s Grand Slam loss. After losing to Sinner in the French Open semi-finals, he hinted that the match at Roland Garros could be “the last match I ever played”. After losing to Alcaraz in straight sets in the US Open semifinals, Djokovic lamented that he might not be able to beat Alcaraz and Sinner in a major’s best-of-five set format.
But he also said he intended to play in all four Grand Slams in 2026 and that playing beyond age 40 would extend his career to at least 2027.
Brady played quarterback in the NFL until he was 45 years old, while James and Ronaldo are both still playing in their 40s.
Djokovic, who co-founded the Professional Tennis Players Association in 2020, also wants to use his influence to improve the sport.
The PTPA filed a lawsuit against tennis’ governing body earlier this year in an attempt to force reform, even as leading players push the Grand Slams for a bigger share of the revenue.
“I want to live to see it too. I’m really excited about what will happen to our sport if I continue to play live and professionally,” Djokovic said. “I can’t talk about these things openly at the moment, but I feel that tennis is a sport that could change significantly over the next few years, and I want to be a part of that change.”
Information from ESPN’s Darcy Maine and Penn State was used in this report.