Novak Djokovic outlines retirement plan ahead of US Open final against Daniil Medvedev
NOVAK DJOKOVIC has outlined his retirement plan ahead of the US Open final.
The Serbian is set to face Daniil Medvedev at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Djokovic, 36, has won 95 singles titles in his glittering career and could make it 96 with a victory over the Russian.
However, he has insisted that he will not leave the court for good as long as he is still at “the top”.
He said: “I don’t want to even consider leaving tennis or thinking about an end if I’m still at the top of the game.”
The tennis ace did then joke that he might consider retirement sooner if he gets his “a*** kicked” by younger players.
He then joked: “I will probably consider doing that if I get my a*** kicked by young guys in Grand Slams in the years to come.”
Djokovic was beaten by 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final earlier this year.
Medvedev has praised Djokovic’s mentality and admitted that he is going to have to be significantly better to have a chance of winning.
He said: “I think the only way I can use it is, as I say, thinking that Novak, when he loses, he’s never the same after.
“So he’s different. It’s just a different mentality.
“That’s why he has 23 Grand Slams, whatever Masters 1000s, weeks at No 1.
“So I have to use it knowing that he’s going to be 10 times better than he was that day.
“And I have to be, if I want to still beat him, 10 times better than I was that day. That’s what I’m going to try to do.”
Djokovic’s dad, however, has recently hinted that his son could soon retire from tennis.
Srdjan also said that the 23-time Grand Slam champion should have hung up his racket years ago.