Novak Djokovic is playing only his fourth tennis tournament this year, but he made this deliberate decision to spend more time with his family.
Djokovic is one of the top players in the world and, as such, has the luxury of choosing where he'll play. Obviously, he wants to play all the big events, such as the Grand Slams and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, but he won't play even all of those.
These days, the 36-year-old has plenty of commitments going on outside of tennis, and those things take priority. Family is the most important thing in his life right now, as he's a father, and his kids are quickly growing up.
He doesn't want to miss these moments, so he's more deliberate where he plays this year. It has positives and negatives when it comes to tennis because he's quite rested but then also needs more time to really find that best level.
He actually hasn't found it this year, but explained his scheduling decision when speaking at the 2024 Italian Open in Rome, while also admitting that it will take him time to get to his top level.
"Yeah, I think it does. On the other hand, it also may take a little bit more time to find that desired level because the fewer matches you play, the more challenging it becomes because you're lacking the competitive matchplay."
He also expanded on why he's missing tournaments this year, and it will continue next year if he continues playing, which is widely expected. Managing the calendar is something he perfected a long time ago, and he's just cutting even more out of it.
"It's a conscientious decision that I'm making now. I'm 37 and I want to spend more time with the family. I want to be picking and choosing a little bit more specifically from this season onwards. Where I want to play, where I enjoy to play, where it fits the schedule."
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