'Finished Soon': Nick Kyrgios Makes Startling Comments About Novak Djokovic Retiring
NewsSaturday, 19 July 2025 at 22:15
Those who want to see Novak Djokovic play for a few more years might be alarmed by Nick Kyrgios's recent remarks about the Serbian retiring.
The evolution of Djokovic and Kyrgios's relationship is among the most dramatic in tennis history. Throughout much of his career, the Australian made several mocking comments about him and claimed not to like the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Things changed after Kyrgios was one of the players who spoke up in support of Djokovic during his detention and eventual deportation from Australia in 2022, going against the feelings of many others in his home country.
Since then, they have played doubles together, and Kyrgios has interviewed Djokovic. That closeness means the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up gets more access to the tennis legend than many others do.
In an appearance on the All on the Table Podcast, Kyrgios revealed a conversation he had with Djokovic at the 2025 Indian Wells Open, where the former ATP world No. 1 could not answer why he still plays, and predicted the Serbian would retire within the next year.
“I think he’s got to be finished soon. Like, come on, what more? I asked him this at Indian Wells this year. We were in the locker room and I said ‘why are you here? Why are you playing?’ He just goes ‘I don’t know.'"
“I go ‘what about your kids, I know you want to spend time with your family’. He said ‘yeah, I don’t know’. That was the first time I think he misses his family a lot. I stay in touch with him all the time. I can’t see him playing for more than another year. Not again. Not the whole year again. He is so professional. I am just speaking from my experience if I had a family like his and kids."
Kyrgios elucidated his point by mentioning Andy Murray, who was Djokovic's coach from the start of this year until they split in May. The Briton chose to do that instead of continuing to spend time at home, which he had been enjoying.
“It’s like Andy Murray. It’s like you play your whole career and then you retire and you don’t spend any time at home, you just go straight into coaching again. If I was his partner, I would be so angry!”
It would be interesting to hear Djokovic's reaction to Kyrgios's words. The ten-time Australian Open champion is next scheduled to play at the 2025 Canadian Open, although it would not be unsurprising if he withdrew.
After losing to Jannik Sinner in the semifinal of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, Djokovic sounded hopeful about returning to the iconic tournament. Despite admitting he struggles physically more than in the past, the 38-year-old intends to play at Wimbledon again.
The only significant achievement left for Djokovic is breaking the record for most Grand Slam singles titles won. He and Margaret Court are tied on 24 majors, although Djokovic is already widely considered to be the best player in tennis history.
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