Djokovic: “I hope it wasn’t my last match in Madrid, but it could be”

Winner Sinner said:
Just twenty minutes after leaving the court, Novak Djokovic quickly showed up at the press conference at the Mutua Madrid Open 2025. The defeat in his debut match against Matteo Arnaldi is a hard blow for the Serbian champion, who has to deal with another disappointment in a season that has so far been stingy on clay. With great frankness and clarity, Djokovic admitted to the media that this could be his last participation in the prestigious Spanish tournament.

«Of course, when you lose a match you don't feel good», Djokovic began. «I knew it would be a difficult match from the beginning. Matteo is a very talented opponent, while I didn't have many matches under my belt on this surface. In training I felt good, but the official match is a whole different thing. The positive aspect is that I felt better than in Monte Carlo and in previous tournaments, even if my level is not yet what I wanted. Today, I simply lost against a better player».
The Serbian champion did not hide his doubts about the next Roland Garros: «Honestly, I would have liked to play more matches than in Monte Carlo. It is a new situation for me, I must admit. Now my goal is to win some matches, without having expectations of final victory. It is a totally different feeling compared to the last twenty years on the circuit. It is a mental challenge that is part of the natural cycle of sporting life».
Djokovic continued with a sincere reflection on his present: «Sooner or later it had to happen. I try to use it as a motivation to look forward. The Grand Slams remain my main goals, although of course I also want to win in other tournaments. I don't know if I'll be able to show my best tennis at Roland Garros, but I'll give my all to succeed».

The Serb then made a deep analysis of the current moment in his career: «For twenty years I hadn't experienced what I'm going through in these last twelve months. Too many early defeats, which certainly hurt. But it's part of the sport and you have to accept the new circumstances trying to get the most possible. I can't complain about my career, I've lived extraordinary moments, but now I have to face a different reality. My shots, my body, my movements are no longer what they were before. It's a change that I have to accept and live with, especially in the big tournaments. We'll see what happens».

Finally, speaking about pressure, Djokovic clarified: «Pressure is an integral part of our sport, especially at the highest levels. It never goes away, even if it is different now. Every time I step on the court I feel nervous, pressure and emotion like any other player. I still love competing, even if it has become more difficult. I do not arrive in Paris as one of the favorites, and maybe this could be an advantageous situation»..
Asked if this could be his last match in Madrid, Djokovic left all options open: "It could be, I'm not sure if I'll come back here. I will definitely come back, but maybe not as a player. I hope it wasn't my last match in Madrid, but it could be."
Click to expand...

He sounds super mature here.
 
TheGoldenEra1990’s said:
I’m sure Djoker will take some viewers with him. The reminisce of the older big 3 fans. The questions now remains who is going to take over the sport with sinner to move it forward? No one outside of sinner has shown any real year round consistency

Losing Djoker is a big blow to the game unless sinner has some company LOL
Click to expand...
Year round consistency?

lol

What happens to him between march and august?
 
He does not have the tennis brain or patience anymore

Raz has so much variety on grass it makes Djoko look like a hamster.
The only problem with Raz is he keeps changing his serve his
coach will not just leave it alone and now with longer grip length
he is going to have less reliability in general.

The only way for Djoks to win is to maximise his simple game
which was serve +1 rather than giving up with drop shots or
ventures to the net, defending till his hips end up like Muz.
At his age for what he has been through he is mentally finished
and ready to make a puppet for WEF or Green slime politics.
 
DariaGT said:
He does not have the tennis brain or patience anymore

Raz has so much variety on grass it makes Djoko look like a hamster.
The only problem with Raz is he keeps changing his serve his
coach will not just leave it alone and now with longer grip length
he is going to have less reliability in general.

The only way for Djoks to win is to maximise his simple game
which was serve +1 rather than giving up with drop shots or
ventures to the net, defending till his hips end up like Muz.
At his age for what he has been through he is mentally finished
and ready to make a puppet for WEF or Green slime politics.
Click to expand...

Mostly agree except the last part, Djok is in the MAGA/nationalist crowd, not the "globalist" crowd
 
despite his unmatchable success, djoker does not mainly rely on technical skills like fed or game plan like rafa, and he waits for opponents hitting self destruction button or chance to hit a winner.
Once his legs gone, djoker weakness exposes quickly
 
Rosstour said:
Let's ask The Father of Christ how he feels about it

https://twitter.com/x/status/1273754282232348672
Click to expand...
What an appallingly rude and cavalier thing to say by Srdjan. To try and put your nose in and gatekeep the career of a guy who was ambassador of the sport for damn near 20 years and didn’t put a foot wrong in that time. Anyone earning money from tennis wanted Fed to stay as long as he could because they ate a lot better with him still at the table.
 
But wasn't Djokovic playing pretty well? I just saw highlights, and it looked like Arnaldi was zoning. And Djokovic was giving away some free big points, which is out of character of course - but I don't think it looks like he is Finnish.

Seemed like an entertaining match.
 
Rosstour said:
Even if you believe Novak is the greatest ever, Fed is still special/1x in a lifetime. Ultimately that is what his fans are left with, for better or for worse.

I'm not shedding any tears for Novak obviously but it's less related to Fed than it is about his conduct. The reason/s he gets booed at matches is not because of Fed or Rafa
Click to expand...
I wouldn’t say that Fed being a one-in-a-million is all that Fed fans have left. Gotta be more positive than that. It’s not like he is lacking in the stats department lol.
 
Rosstour said:
Mostly agree except the last part, Djok is in the MAGA/nationalist crowd, not the "globalist" crowd
Click to expand...
same pyramid control system, just different flavor for the same bakery using chametz
The whole world is a stage all sides are controlled, Im sure he knows this but like Nadal
and Fed the only aim now is to be the first to make a billion or 2 in printed bills of exchange

Novak Stuck @ 99 ?

https://imgur.com/a/8Nsp3Dk
 
Last edited:
nolefam_2024 said:
I do remember when the fedfans used to collect moral victories and Nole was collecting real victories. They thought fed was special and once in a lifetime player. But two guys went ahead of him.
Click to expand...

Fed is a special once in a lifetime player, especially given the way he played and had to adapt during the years and still had so much success with that precision, balancing on the edge playing style.

Djokodal are too of course, just in a different way.
 
Mustard said:
Marvin Hagler once said that it's hard to get up to train in the morning when you are wearing silk pyjamas.
Click to expand...

Don't think that's it, he has been wearing silk pyjamas for a long time now.

I think Novak's still hungry, he wouldn't have changed his coaching team and experimented with Murray if he wasn't.

To me it seems at this point he's just beat up physically and mentally. Not some specific injury but just the mileage and wear and tear have added up.
 
Rosstour said:
If he wins Wimbledon how can he quit?
Click to expand...
Because he will have equaled Federer's Wimbledon trophy count. There has been bad blood between Djokovic and Federer and that is one thing he needs to match him. Once he does that he will retire.
Also the US Open is one of the most taxing given the heat and humidity after a long season. Djokovic does not have the legs for it.
 
tennis24x7 said:
Because he will have equaled Federer's Wimbledon trophy count. There has been bad blood between Djokovic and Federer and that is one thing he needs to match him.
Click to expand...

If he wins Wimbledon this year and next, he can retire with no regrets. Equalling Fed's count isn't as good as exceeding it. And I agree with you, he hates Fed and wants to take every single record he has.
 
zagor said:
Fed is a special once in a lifetime player, especially given the way he played and had to adapt during the years and still had so much success with that precision, balancing on the edge playing style.

Djokodal are too of course, just in a different way.
Click to expand...
When 3 are special, the first guy is not special anymore.
 
NoleFam said:
Oh like 2017/2018 didn't happen or did you forget? Daily threads mocking Djokovic's poor form and struggles must didn't happen and I imagined it. You're on an imaginary high horse that doesn't exist. When the dust settles, however, it's not a good look to be this bitter. The guy has been retired almost 3 years. Time to let go and move on.

They spent the last 10 years trying to prove how terrible the competition in the game was, and the last 7 trying to prove that's why Djokovic won so much in his 30s. Now it's that Federer was overall better because he performed better at 37. The coping at this point is beyond ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Completely regardless of what the completely argumentless delusional roger federer fanatics say, the irrefutable and indisputable fact is that novak djokovic performed way better than little roger federer from age 37 to 38 and novak djokovic will continue to perform way better than little roger federer with novak djokovic from age 37 to 38 achieving a peak of a wimbledon final, an australian open semi-final, and a roland garros quarter-final along with an olympic gold in singles which little roger federer never ever was capable of ever.
 
Subway Tennis said:
I wouldn’t say that Fed being a one-in-a-million is all that Fed fans have left. Gotta be more positive than that. It’s not like he is lacking in the stats department lol.
Click to expand...
Wrong, the only thing that the completely delusional roger federer fanatics have left about little roger federer is the fact that little roger federer actually managed to irrefutably and indisputably be THE LEAST in talent and in achievement out of all of the big 3.
 
Tennis Devolution said:
Completely regardless of what the completely argumentless delusional roger federer fanatics say, the irrefutable and indisputable fact is that novak djokovic performed way better than little roger federer from age 37 to 38 and novak djokovic will continue to perform way better than little roger federer with novak djokovic from age 37 to 38 achieving a peak of a wimbledon final, an australian open semi-final, and a roland garros quarter-final along with an olympic gold in singles which little roger federer never ever was capable of ever.
Click to expand...
He actually didn't though but he did perform better at 36.
 
ND-13 said:
Alcaraz probably lost the battle but may win the war. Sinner and Alcaraz have kicked him into retirement. I hope there is life left in Novak for the 110.
Click to expand...
Half a like for that. Sinner may well have broken Djokovic in that he may feel Sinner is basically a better version of him, sort of like Terminator T1000 was an upgrade on Arnie. Not saying Sinner is greater btw or will have anywhere near as much success, but i am saying that right now, in the moment, Djokovic may see in Sinner much of himself but a more powerful version.
Regarding Alcaraz simply no. Its the other way round. Djokovic utterly destroyed Alcaraz at the Olympics and exposed the 'party' weakness of Alcaraz. We saw that in Australia. Djokovic has ruthlessly exposed the glaring weakness in Alcaraz, and it is his mentality and what has now happened is Alcaraz's own generation are now also aware. Alcaraz is aware they are aware and already seems to be having a sort of mini mental breakdown.
 
Rosstour said:
Right, only the third guy. Good to know Rafa and Fed are not special players.
Click to expand...
Wrong.

Fed is not special uniquely, big 3 are all special

Now that doesn't mean they are equal. Djokovic is much ahead of both Fedal. Just because all 3 are special doesn't make all 3 equal.
 
No one can argue that Djokovic does not have the numbers. But who is the "icon" ? Who brings crowds everywhere ? Who holds endorsement deals ? Who is the billionaire from the sport ? That should give you some clues about which player is special.
 
Amigo should retire and come to USA and chill with some Rasta.... already the goat.. no need to prove or achieve anything more..
Let the next gen enjoy the glory..
 
Fedal were unique but Fed not Rafa was the one that should have not won
in the slowed down homogenated era conducive to trolling and hacking.
On top of that he used mostly a heavy 90sq inch while Rafa a 100 and Nole a 95.
Nole is the least unique but the greatest achiever and therefore the GOAT, period.

I like many loved Fed for his game, then Rafa as the talent in these guys in improvisation
and pure ability with a racquet was ahead of everyone except maybe Carlitos.

I cannot stand watching Noles game which is what most of the tour is composed of.
Sure it was not his choice to play the way he did, its just the way it is and happened.
He used the most efficient way to win, which is clinical and also sterile at best.
Again that is not his fault, he was machine like similar to Lendl in some ways.

Fedal are perfect puppets of the status quo while Nole was the outsider and should
have played the Joker vs Batman and Robin instead of wanting to be loved digitally.
Nobody is perfect, I have no idols never did yet Nole is the GOAT period but its time
he eats daily Wagyu steaks, sardines, caviar, raw milk and eggs.
 
NoleFam said:
He actually didn't though but he did perform better at 36.
Click to expand...
Nah, despite the dips in consistency, novak djokovic from age 37 to 38 performed better at the most important events than little roger federer which novak djokovic has always done better than little roger federer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Rafael Nadal: 'Every time I win, I think it could be the last time I do it'
Replies
32
Views
3K
octobrina10
octobrina10
hoosierbr
TMS Madrid may be Albert Costa's last hurrah
Replies
5
Views
1K
Dilettante
Dilettante
40-15 still haunts me
It’s so hard to root for Novak at times, but I do hope for a good match with Rafa
Replies
38
Views
2K
Wooly
Wooly
GoatNo1
Mensik reveals how Novak Djokovic helped him – ‘I first thought it was a hoax, but it was really him’
Replies
35
Views
2K
DSH
DSH
F
It is weird how Nadal is in Federer's head but Djokovic is not
Replies
33
Views
5K
ibbi
ibbi
Back
Top