“That’s not my goal at all” – Djokovic won’t chase ATP Finals
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has his sights set on a select few tournaments for the rest of his career, and the ATP Finals are no longer a priority
Djokovic, Davis Cup, 2023 © Zuma / Panoramic
Speaking to Serbian reporters following his Davis Cup win over Greece’s Ioannis Xilas, beating the Greek player 6-0, 6-1, Novak Djokovic said that he needs proper rest near the end of the year so that he could think properly about his tennis future.
Djokovic was in his element playing in front of his home crowd in Belgrade, in the legendary ‘Aleksandar Nikolic’ hall, formerly known as Pionir.
“Weeks like these represent another motivation, they inspire me to keep going, they awake those butterflies in my belly,” Djokovic said after the match.
“I thought that I would never have to seek motivation anywhere, it all used to come naturally – automatically – but that has not been the case in the last few years.
“In order to prolong my career, I need to enjoy, I need to choose wisely tournaments I am going to play.”
Djokovic reiterated that he doesn’t plan to play the 250-level tournament in Belgrade at the start of November.
“I am not playing, that won’t change.”
After the Davis Cup, Djokovic is due to play an exhibition in Sofia, followed by the Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai.
“After that, I am going to see what am I going to do,” he continued.
“Usually in my career I used to have my schedule ready six months in advance, but nowadays that’s not the case, now it’s more spontaneous. Firstly, I need to physically, emotionally and mentally rest in order to even start thinking what I want to do next, in what way, how much and where.”
Asked whether he would make an extra push to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin, Djokovic was very clear.
“Torino is not my goal at all, to be honest, I am not chasing ATP Finals, I am not chasing the rankings etc,” he explained.
“As far as I am concerned, I am done with those tournaments for my career (smiling). Whether I will play other tournaments this year or in the future, I can’t say right now.
“My main priorities are playing for the national team and Slams, everything else is less important.”
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