Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Novak Djokovic’s 2028 Olympic Retirement Plan Holds Steady, But an Injury-Ridden 2025 Makes the Remaining Three Seasons a Steep Climb

Looking at Djokovic’s struggle to stay healthy for a 2028 goodbye.

Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Novak Djokovic has reiterated that he wants to retire at the 2028 Olympic Games, finishing his career while carrying the Serbian flag. Yet after a season marked by lingering injuries and a late withdrawal from the ATP Finals in Turin, fresh concern has surfaced about whether his body can hold up long enough to let him reach that stage. The 24-time Grand Slam champion still frames the 2028 Olympics as his chosen endpoint, but his recent comments show that he now recognizes the limits of what he can physically control in the final stretch of his career.

LA 2028, are you ready? 🥇

Paris 2024 Gold medallist Novak Djokovic is hoping to finish his career at the next Olympic Tennis Event in LA 2028 🇷🇸 pic.twitter.com/o8lD3nxkW7
— ITF (@ITFTennis) November 10, 2025

Djokovic’s 2028 Goal Collides With the Realities of Age

Djokovic secured one of the last major goals of his career in 2024 by finally winning Olympic gold in Paris. Since then, however, motivation has come in waves, and his body has dictated more than he would like. He pulled out of this week’s ATP Finals the night before the event began due to a shoulder issue, a decision that stirred frustration among fans and analysts. It also intensified speculation about his ability to keep playing at the highest level through 2026 and beyond.

Novak Djokovic isn’t planning to retire anytime soon 💪 pic.twitter.com/yvQFhmUiFK
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) November 10, 2025

After beating Lorenzo Musetti to win the ATP 250 event in Athens, Djokovic restated his intention clearly. “I’ve always had this throughout my life and my career; I’ve always had a schedule in my head for a year or more, what I want, how I want it,” he said. “Since I’ve achieved absolutely all possible goals, I said about the 2028 Olympics because I wanted to play for so many more years. So maybe ending up at the Olympic Games with the Serbian flag; that would be nice.”

But for the first time, he allowed real doubt to enter the conversation. “I don’t know. I mean, I really don’t know, because there are some things that are not entirely in my control. I’m trying to be as healthy as possible mentally and physically.”

Novak Djokovic with that 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 at 38 years old 🤩🐐 pic.twitter.com/YxMukpL2PA
— GiveMeSport (@GiveMeSport) November 9, 2025

This uncertainty does not signal a retreat from Djokovic’s 2028 plan. It reflects the reality of a 38-year-old champion who has stretched his body further than any player before him. He still wants that Olympic finish, yet the path toward it is becoming harder to sustain. This season he chased a 25th Grand Slam and reached the semifinals at every major, a remarkable standard for his age. He added a 101st title in Athens, closing in on Federer’s 103. Even Carlos Alcaraz admitted he preferred facing Musetti over Djokovic. The intimidation remains, the drive remains, but the future now poses the real question.

Mandatory Image Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

2025-Injury Ridden

2028 Retirement Plan

Novak Djokovic

Rudra Dubey

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I’m an academic turned sports writer from Raipur, India, specializing in the NFL, MMA, and tennis at The Playoffs. I previously wrote for Sportskeeda and hold a B.A. and M.A. in History. My journey into sports media began far from the field, rooted in the arts and sciences. Funny enough, I didn’t grow up a sports fan; I used to see it all as just noise. But a fateful writing job introduced me to the world of sports, and what began as a gig quickly became a passion. I understood those voices aren’t noise; they’re emotions of true sports fans, and now I am one of them, writing with the same energy I once questioned.