According to former Italian ATP player Adriano Panatta, Novak Djokovic could get pushed to retirement by Jannik Sinner.
Novak Djokovic is still one of the best tennis players in the world, and that's not just a blank statement. He proved it on the court this year by winning three out of four Grand Slams on top of some other big events like the Cincinnati Masters and the ATP Finals.
He's had some minor hiccups, such as the Wimbledon loss to Carlos Alcaraz and some recent losses to Jannik Sinner, but nothing was indicating that he's slowing down in any capacity.
Now, former player Adriano Panatta could see him retire from the sport if he stops being competitive. That is not a shocking opinion because Djokovic confirmed that multiple times.
He will stop when he doesn't feel as competitive as he wants to be, which could happen technically at any time. According to Panatta, it'll happen in 2024 if Sinner keeps beating Djokovic.
In my opinion, if Sinner were to beat him two or three more times in 2024, he would become Djokovic's nightmare, pushing him towards retirement. History teaches & usually repeats itself. Borg quit with the arrival of McEnroe, McEnroe retired when Becker arrived.
As rare as what Sinner has done in the past few weeks is, it's pretty unrealistic to expect him to beat him all the time. After all, the Italian failed in the ATP Finals final, so expecting him to dominate the matchup is premature.
There is a parallel universe where the young players push Djokovic into retirement, but it seems to be far from happening right now, as the Serbian just keeps proving why he's one of the best, if not the best ever. It will happen eventually, but he's too good to go out quietly. He's going to fight for his right to party.
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