Novak Djokovic Struggles With Being 'Emotionally Flat' According To Former ATP Player
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Novak Djokovic entered the last stage of his tennis career, and that presented him with a unique set of challenges.
Djokovic is a 24-time Grand Slam champion, and there is probably only one record he has left to break in tennis, and that's winning a 25th major title. That's possibly the only reason why the 37-year-old Serbian is competing.
At the same time, he can't just show up to Grand Slam tournaments and compete. He wouldn't be adequately prepared for those events, which would ruin his chances of achieving his goal.
So Djokovic finds himself in a relatively unique situation. He has to play also other tournaments to stay in good playing shape, but at the same time, it seems that his motivation at those events is not the highest.
Most recently, the 99-time ATP titlist competed at the 2025 Qatar Open in Doha. He lost already in the first round to Matteo Berrettini, which prompted former ATP player Steve Johnson to discuss Djokovic's motivation on the latest episode of the Nothing Major podcast.
Johnson couldn't understand why Djokovic chose to play in Doha. Of course, the American player is aware that the Serbian might have certain obligations, as he's sponsored by a company from Qatar, but he also felt like Djokovic was not motivated for that tournament.
"I am not sure what Novak’s plan is going forward, nobody knows it but him. I don’t know why he is playing this tournament just in general. It feels like he just wants to win Slams to continue his legacy and stamp as the greatest champion of the sport we have ever seen."
"There is obviously financial obligations and commitments he has made in the past, we don’t know exactly what it takes for him to play these types of events. It just feels as if he is not as motivated to win in Dubai or Doha than he is to win a Slam, which is rightfully so, because that’s the only thing which can further his legacy."
It would be understandable if Djokovic wasn't as motivated for the Qatar Open as he would be for the Australian Open. Johnson thought the 37-year-old wouldn't compete until the Indian Wells Open.
"Good to see him out there playing, I thought we weren’t going to see him until Indian Wells and just play some of the Masters series to win the French [Open], win Wimby [Wimbledon]. So interesting to see him out there."
The former American player also feels like Djokovic can be a bit "flat" on the tennis courts these days, which hasn't been the case for him before. Of course, Johnson also recognized Berrettini's great level in their meeting, but again questioned Djokovic's motivation.
"It sometimes feels that he is a bit flat emotionally, which has usually never been the case for him. So he has earned the right to play whatever schedule he deserves and wants to do. It’s a tough draw going against Berrettini who played really well that match, the serve, the forehand."
"Everything was going well. So it’s just interesting to watch Novak in these events because the Doha title is not going to further his legacy, so I’m not sure his emotional investment."
