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NOLE SPOKE ABOUT THE END OF HIS CAREER: I want to play in my forties, LeBron, Ronaldo and Brady inspire me! (VIDEO)

by Serbian Times17. October 2025.17. October 2025.

The best Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic stated at the “Joy” forum in Riyadh, within the prestigious “Six Kings Slam” tournament, that longevity is his greatest motivation and that he wants to play into his forties, like LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Tom Brady.

Jannik Sinner defeated Djokovic in just 61 minutes of play in the exhibition match in Saudi Arabia, and after the encounter, Novak emphasized that elite athletes from other sports give him motivation.

“I want to see how far I can go. If you look at all the sports in the world, LeBron James is still playing great at 40, Ronaldo as well, Tom Brady played until he was forty-something – it’s incredible. They inspire me,” Djokovic said at the forum in Riyadh.

Tennis fans have long been following the question of Djokovic’s future, as he won his last Grand Slam in 2023 at the US Open, at the age of 36 – the same age when his great rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal won their last titles.

Although he reached the semi-finals of all major tournaments this season, at the age of 38, Novak failed to win any trophies.

ما الذي يحفّز @DjokerNole ؟
يشاركنا اللاعب نوفاك دوجوكوفتش أسراره في جوي فورم:
"الاستمرارية هي أكبر دوافعي. أريد أن أرى حدود إمكانياتي وإلى أي مدى يمكنني الوصول"

What drives @DjokerNole ? He tells us at #JoyForum.

“Longevity is one of my biggest motivations. I really want to… pic.twitter.com/WiCVCSgen7
— موسم الرياض | Riyadh Season (@RiyadhSeason) October 16, 2025

He was one step away from the final at Wimbledon and Roland Garros, where he was stopped by Jannik Sinner, while he lost to Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open.

At the Australian Open, he had to retire from the semi-final match against Alexander Zverev due to injury.

Djokovic said jokingly and with a smile on his face that he would be happy if one of his younger colleagues would lend him their body for a year so he could compete with Sinner and Alcaraz, and then pointed out that tennis could change in the coming period.

“In the coming years, tennis can change a lot, and I want to be a part of that change. I want to play when our sport rejuvenates itself and sets a new platform for the decades to come,” Djokovic said.

The Serbian tennis player’s next expected tournament is in Athens from November 2 to 8.