Last year’s Wimbledon tournament was not kind to Novak Djokovic. With seven Wimbledon titles, Djokovic’s prowess on grass courts is remarkable but he could not replicate his victory against Carlos Alcaraz. And Ted Robinson, an American sportscaster, discussed how it marked an end to his dominance on-court. Referring to Roger Federer’s matches in 2021, he drew a comparison between the two legends’ similar career trajectories.

“Wimbledon last summer changed the final arc of Novak’s career. The fact that this young kid walks onto the grass court and basically snaps Novak in the fifth set that is supposed to happen. And I think that changed,” claimed Ted Robinson during the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast. Recalling last year’s Wimbledon final, Novak Djokovic indeed faced a disappointing defeat against the then World No. 5, Alcaraz after competing for five sets.

It also marked his first loss at the Centre Court in over ten years! And it even shocked Djokovic, as he later admitted, “I thought I’ll have trouble with you on only clay and hard court.” However, he revived himself by winning the U.S. Open and ATP finals later that year. But in 2024, Novak Djokovic has been titleless so far. After he parted ways with his long-time coach, Goran Ivanisevic, speculations have arisen about whether this would be his last tour before retirement.

However, quite interestingly, Robinson pointed out how the same thing happened with Roger Federer as well. “I think it definitely happened to Roger at the end that suddenly the aura’s gone,” he said. 

When Roger Federer was struggling with his knee injuries back in 2021, we all knew the end of his career might be near. And it was further emphasized when, among the five tournaments that he played in 2021, he reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon only. But sadly, he faced a loss against the then World No. 18 Hubert Hurkacz. 

And soon, a year later, the Swiss legend declared his retirement. Robinson pointed this out and explained how the “aura” of Novak Djokovic has also come to an end. But a few months ago, Djokovic expressed how he is not done yet.

Novak Djokovic does not feel like “leaving tennis” anytime soon

Roger Federer retired in 2022, and Rafael Nadal is following the same trend this year. But will Novak Djokovic join hands with them too? Well, for now, we do not need to worry. This is because, during the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic himself put to bed all his retirement plans. Although he suffered from a wrist injury and also a viral fever throughout in the tournament, his determination to be his best did not waver. 

“I feel while being No. 1 and still on top of my game, I don’t feel like leaving tennis while in that position. I feel like I want to keep on going.”

The 24-Grand Slam Champion’s goal for the year is clear: add one more grand slam to his name. And till then, he is not giving up. But will he achieve his goal or will we see Robinson’s prediction come true? Well, only time will tell.