By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Photo: Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty
Novak Djokovic dreams of ending his career with a glittering farewell.
The 38-year-old Serbian superstar defeated Lorenzo Musetti to win his 101st career championship in Athens on Saturday.
While much of the tennis world focuses on Djokovic’s pursuit of a record 25th career Grand Slam crown, he cites a very special tournament as his ideal exit event.
The reigning Olympic gold medalist said he dreams of representing Serbia at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I’ve always had this throughout my life and my career, I’ve always had a schedule in my head for a year or more, what I want, how I want,” Djokovic told the media in Athens.
“Since I have achieved absolutely all possible goals, I said about the 2028 Olympics because I wanted to play for many more years. So maybe it would be nice to finish at the Olympics with the Serbian flag.”
The man who reached the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams this season won his last major crown at the 2023 US Open.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Djokovic defeated Matthew Ebden, first-time rival Rafael Nadal, Dominik Koepfer, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Lorenzo Musetti and Carlos Alcaraz, 7-6, 7-6, to capture his first gold medal without dropping a set. Djokovic may feel that the best-of-three sets format of the Olympics gives him a better chance of beating Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner than the best-of-five sets of Grand Slam play.
The former world number 1’s comments about closing the curtain on his illustrious career in Los Angeles echo comments he made earlier this season.
“The only thing I think about and the only thing that motivates me is the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” Novak said. Slaven Bilic in an interview in June.
In Paris, Djokovic made history as the oldest man to play in the gold medal tennis match and win the gold medal.
If Djokovic plays in the Los Angeles Games, he would be 41 by then. Djokovic is one of only three men in history aged 30 or older to have played in an Olympic gold medal match.
His rise to gold in Paris was historic: Djokovic joined Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams as one of five players to have won all four majors and an Olympic singles gold medal.
After setting the gold standard, the Serbian superstar called it “the biggest success I’ve ever had”.
“I’m very proud, very happy, excited about the opportunity to fight for the gold medal and to win the gold medal for the first time in my career for my country. Probably, the biggest success I’ve ever had,” Djokovic said.
“Of course, I’ve won everything I can possibly win in my individual career. But to win the Davis Cup and especially to win the Olympic gold medal at the age of 37 is unprecedented.”
