MONACO — It`s definitely harder for tennis players in their late 30s.
It wasn`t long ago that playing at a high level at this age was seen as almost impossible. While better fitness, diet, and recovery have made it more common, winning major titles at an older age is tougher than ever. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were 36 and 35 when they won their last Grand Slams.
Novak Djokovic was also 36 when he won his record-tying 24th Grand Slam at the US Open in 2023. At 37, he won an Olympic gold medal last summer, completing his list of achievements. Now, as he starts the clay-court season, just before turning 38, he knows how challenging it is to win majors, especially when they are best-of-five sets.
It`s not just the rise of young stars like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have won the last five Slams and six of the last seven, making things difficult. Djokovic also deals with more injuries, such as a hamstring issue that affected his Australian Open run in January. Small problems also come up, like an eye infection that bothered him in the Miami final last month. Balancing tennis and family life with children who are now 10 and 7 is also increasingly hard.
`I`m trying to balance everything as I go,` Djokovic said at the Monte Carlo Masters on Sunday, with his eye infection still visible. `By balance, I mean finding a good middle ground between my tennis career and personal life. I want to be happy with what I`m doing and still motivate myself to keep going, not just for tournaments, but also for daily practice. It`s definitely harder to stay motivated now than earlier in my career.`
In Miami and Melbourne, Djokovic showed he`s still a top player when he`s playing well. He reached the final in Miami without losing a set, only losing to Mensik in two tiebreaks, partly due to his eye infection. These good weeks remind him that he can still win major titles.
`My Miami performances give me more motivation to keep going,` he said. `It feels great on court when you`re hitting the ball well and winning. Losing early in tournaments makes you doubt yourself. You start questioning if you should continue and for how long.`
`I`m happy that I rediscovered my joy for tennis in Miami and felt my performance level was good. I hope to bring that to the clay season. It`s a very different surface, and I haven`t had much time to prepare for this tournament, so I don`t have high expectations for results here. I want to play matches, get as many as possible, and peak at the end of the clay season, especially in Paris.`
With Andy Murray taking a break from coaching, Djokovic is joined by his brother Marko in Monte Carlo this week. Djokovic will play his first match against Alejandro Tabilo of Chile, who beat him at the Italian Open last year.
Even though his motivation has sometimes wavered, Djokovic doesn`t seem to be planning to retire soon. When asked if he would retire if he won his 100th ATP title and a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam this year, he said strongly,
`No, I don`t think so,` he said. `You never know. We`ll see. I still feel I have energy left. I`ve shown in Australia and Miami that I can still play at a high level. This still makes me happy to be on court and compete. Some people think I should retire at the top, which I understand. Many thought I should have quit after winning a gold medal last year. But let`s see what happens. Of course, I`d love to win. If you told me I`d win my 100th title at any Slam this year, I`d agree right away. But it`s a big challenge, so I`m staying humble and hoping for the best.`
The doubts seem quieter now, at least about tennis. `For other things, not as much,` Djokovic said. `But for tennis, right now, things are good.`
