Novak Djokovic hasn't won a single trophy this year, and as a 37-year-old athlete with family, his motivation started to be questioned.
The Serbian spent much of his career winning trophies, rarely going half a season without a trophy, let alone a full season. This year has been unique in that regard, and it wasn't even a gradual process.
The Serbian is well aware that he's 37, and his career is closer to the end than its peak. He knows that he will not remain competitive forever, and once he doesn't, he will likely retire from the sport, as he suggested before.
That's how he answered the few retirement questions he got earlier this year when he really struggled. His bad level from the start of the year has improved in recent months, as he reached the 2024 Wimbledon Championships final.
He wasn't competitive for most of it, as Carlos Alcaraz was dominant in the one-sided final, but he still made it to the final, which counts for something.
Even so, we're at the end of the seventh month this year, and Djokovic has yet to win a trophy. He just played in his first final this year, so he's getting closer, but obviously, it's not close to last year, when he won multiple trophies, including three of the four Grand Slams.
Still, he seems to be motivated. He said multiple times that he was motivated, and former WTA player Tracy Austin doesn't doubt him either. Speaking on the Tennis Channel's Inside In Tennis podcast, Austin spoke about Djokovic and his motivation.
"At 37, he is the only one who can know how full his gas tank is and how motivated he is. He hasn’t won a title this year, which is insane, but I think he has only played seven tournaments, so it’s definitely a lighter schedule because he knows at his age, maybe he wants to spend more time with his kids and doesn’t want to test his body too much."
One thing that is certain is that he is likely not deciding about his retirement at the moment, and he probably shouldn't be. He admitted it several times in the past few months, and he certainly looks motivated to continue.
For Austin, that's the most important thing. She and nobody else knows what is going on inside of his head and what is he feeling, but he clearly still loves the game, and as long as he can remain competitive, he will going to want to play.
On the other hand, tennis fans can only hope it lasts as long as possible to enjoy the Serbian's greatness. It doesn't come around every other year, not this type.
"I can’t answer that. We don’t know what these guys are feeling. The love of the game and the love of the sport and the way they have been able to take care of their bodies better than others [in] past decades, I am going to say play as long as we want, we love to watch you."
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