Novak Djokovic has been a mysterious man in the past few months, and he recently uncovered some of the mysteries surrounding his 2025 season.
With the 37-year-old Serbian player coming to the end of his tennis career, he made it clear multiple times that he won't be competing in so many regular ATP tournaments anymore. Instead, he highlighted his focus on Grand Slams and representing his country.
With his participation in any tournaments apart from majors uncertain, it's not a surprise that he often faces questions about his schedule. While fans can be sure about the rest of the Tour likely competing in all ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and even some ATP 500 and 250 events, that's not the case for Djokovic.
This year, he didn't play in Miami, Madrid, Montreal, Cincinnati, and he also recently withdrew from the Paris Masters. On top of that, he also withdrew from the ATP Finals, making fans wonder how much he will play in 2025.
Recently, Djokovic attended a basketball match between Crvena Zvezda Belgrade and Alba Berlin, which the Serbian team won 92-71, and during the game, he talked to the Serbian publication SportKlub.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion calmed everyone after his withdrawal from the ATP Finals, saying that tennis is still his focus and that he plans to go 'full throttle' during the off-season.
He also explained that he needed to rest now, which was likely one of the main reasons why he withdrew from every tournament after the Shanghai Masters, where he reached the final.
"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."
Djokovic was again asked about his goals for the next season, and obviously, those didn't change. He still wants to win Grand Slams and, if possible, represent his country at the Davis Cup.
"I told you guys that a million times. The Slams of course, and I would like to play the Davis Cup as well, we'll see what happens with that."
However, the Serbian player also revealed that he will compete in the first weeks of the next season, meaning he will add one regular ATP tournament to his calendar.
This isn't something that would contradict his previous statements, as Djokovic explained before that while his focus is solely on majors, he will also do what's needed to succeed at those tournaments, meaning he might even play some ATP 250 tournaments.
Those are the only options for him if he wants to start early next year. There are three events held in the first week of the season. The United Cup starts already on December 27th, but Serbia didn't sign up to play at that event, and since the draw was already made, that's not an option for the 37-year-old.
Then, there are two ATP 250 tournaments starting on December 30th. The Hong Kong Open likely won't be an option for Djokovic, given that it's not in Australia, making his preparations unnecessarily complicated.
Another option in the first week would be the Brisbane International, which might be a great choice for Djokovic, considering it's held in the first week, which means he would have one more week between the event and the Australian Open.
However, he might also compete in the second week of the season. The Adelaide International starts on January 6th, and that's a tournament that he played in before. If he wanted to travel from New Zealand to Australia, then the ASB Classic in Auckland might be an option, too.
"I am going to play in the first week of the season, I am just not sure yet where. Then, of course, Australian Open."
Eventually, the best options for Djokovic are the Brisbane International and the Adelaide International. After that, he will obviously compete at the Australian Open, where he will attempt to win his 11th title and 25th Grand Slam overall.
During the same interview in Belgrade, Djokovic also spoke about his biggest triumph of this season, which was his gold-medal run at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He admitted that he still wears his medal, and also said that it hasn't worn off as some of the medals he saw on social media.
"The medal didn't wear out, I keep it, I didn't wear it enough. I've seen pictures that some of the medals have worn off, but mine is the same. Although, that bronze from China hasn't changed either. Nothing."