“You can never write him off, I would never do that.” That’s what Goran Ivanisevic, the former coach of Novak Djokovic, recently said about the 24-time Grand Slam winner, highlighting his will to win. It can’t be affected by anything, be it the conditions or injuries. On Tuesday, the Olympics Gold medalist shocked the tennis community with his ATP Finals withdrawal. Which means he won’t be there in Turin to defend his title, owing to an ongoing injury. But that doesn’t mean he won’t make a comeback. According to a former WTA pro, Djoker’s not only capable of making a grand return, but he may also claim his Grand Slam number 25 in Australia next year!

Talking on the Tennis Channel Live Podcast, dated November 8th, ex-American player Tracy Austin shared her thoughts on Djokovic’s withdrawal from the ATP Finals. “I just think with his knee, he had that kind of emergency knee surgery, between the French and Wimbledon, and has come back playing the sleeve on the knee since then, has said that he’s not playing the ATP Tour Finals” she said.

Tracy tried to imply that Novak may have decided to pull back from Turin to make sure he recovers in time. Moreover, she commended Novak Djokovic’s ability to still play and excel smoothly despite his growing age(currently 37 years) and new generation rivals like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

At the French Open this year, he battled through a major knee injury, withdrawing ahead of his quarterfinals against Casper Ruud. Although he underwent a surgery for his meniscus tear in early June, he still made it to the finals of the Wimbledon in July. Yes, he couldn’t win against Alcaraz there, but then he went on to grab the Olympics Gold medal against the current world No. 3.

Perhaps that’s why Tracy believes that he can still overcome his injury and claim another major in 2025 with the Australian Open. “I mean, Australia would be the one, I think, that he would take if it was possible,” she said while backing the Serbian. “You could see, you could see it at the Australian.” Novak’s track record at the event is phenomenal. Out of his 24 Slams, 10 have come in Australia alone. Next year, he will try to increase this count to 11 while extending the overall career total to 25. Going by a latest update from Novak himself, there’s hope this possibility might come true.

“Tennis is still my focus! I am going at full throttle in the off-season. We go for another ride. I just needed to recharge and refresh a bit after an exhausting year,” he said, as reported by Tennis Majors on November 8th. He also made it clear that the Australian Open will be on his target. “I am going to play in the first week of the season. I am just not sure yet where. Then, of course, Australian Open.”

Speaking of his absence from the ATP Finals, there’s no doubt that he will be missed. In fact, a few top-ranked players have already shared thoughts of there being no Novak in the season finale.

Novak Djokovic being missed at the ATP Finals

During today’s ATP Finals press conference, German player Alexander Zverev was asked to comment on Novak’s withdrawal from Turin. Zverev responded by saying, “Of course, we’re missing Novak.” While admiring the Serbian as one of his favorites, Alexander said that “he’s still one of the best players in the world. I mean, he qualified for this event, right? He just chose not to play.”

Further, he reflected on his previous experience of playing against the Big 3, including Novak. According to Zverev, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic used to be the favorites at the ATP Finals in the past. To put it in perspective, Djokovic, among the three GOATs of tennis, has won the season finale seven times! He even won the event in 2023, defeating current No.1 Jannik Sinner in straight sets.

Zverev also remembered the time when he won the season finale first time in 2018. Before actually winning the event, he had to overcome Federer in semis and then Novak in the title clash. Not to mention that it was a tough task to accomplish. “I had to beat at least two of the three players… I beat Federer in the semis and Djokovic in the finals,” he said.

With the current season being all but over for him, avid fans will wish for Novak’s speedy recovery before the start of the next season. It seems likely as well, given Djoker’s undying passion for the sport.