Andre Agassi Hopes Novak Djokovic "Doesn't Wait for Too Long" To Retire

Novak Djokovic, the world’s most successful tennis player, has undoubtedly had a spectacular career. Djokovic currently holds the record for career Grand Slam titles, spent 428 weeks as the No. 1 ranked player, and is the only player to win the Career Golden Masters twice. Amid these successes, however, experts and fans are beginning to question how much longer Djokovic should keep playing.

Speaking in a new Amazon Prime documentary, Novak Djokovic: The Wolf In Winter, Djokovic’s former coach Andre Agassi gave his thoughts. Agassi discussed his hopes for Djokovic to step back from the sport to focus on his family and other aspects of his personal life.

Agassi’s Advice

"I don't know when the end will come for Novak, but the one thing I can say is that the end, when it does come, always comes fast. I would hope for him that he doesn't wait for too long, not because he can't win anymore, but because tennis takes your childhood," stated Agassi. "But then it gives you a chance to be done with your success so that you can raise your children without the preoccupations."

Agassi and Djokovic sent waves through the tennis world when they partnered in early 2017, but the mentorship ultimately didn’t pan out. The American legend left Djokovic’s team after less than a year, with Djokovic unable to reach a single Grand Slam semi-final in that time. Both remain positive about the collaboration, though Agassi mentioned frequent disagreements at the time of his departure.

Djokovic On Retirement

Djokovic has stated his goal to retire at the 2028 Summer Olympics, playing for his native Serbia, but hasn’t committed to this date. This leaves over a full season of events for the Serb to tackle, though fans will have to track his recovery after a tragic first-round loss at the 2026 US Open.

“I’m still feeling I can compete at the highest level, and the results are there. I can still stay a little bit active here and there,” Djokovic said in an interview for the upcoming film. “I think he’s right. Of course, I would lie if [I said] I don’t have those thoughts. I do have them. And I don’t know if there’s a perfect way [to retire].

“There’s a category of athletes that want to leave on top, there’s a category of athletes that want to leave because their body is not listening to them, and there’s a category of athletes that just get beaten by others, and they see they can’t go on. Or, it’s all of it. So I’m still just trying to enjoy myself competing. I’m there, and we’ll have this conversation later.”

Djokovic’s Year on the Court

Despite his dedication to continued play, Djokovic has begun to falter during matchups. He was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open Final in May, lost in straight sets to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon, and was held back by heat and humidity while facing Thiago Agustín Tirante in Cincinnati.

The US Open was a major point of focus for Djokovic’s year, representing his final chance to claim a Grand Slam title before the end of 2026. With top-ranked Jannik Sinner out of the running, Djokovic’s draw looked promising, but he was defeated by Argentina’s Mariano Navone in a painful first-round match. He gave a solid opening performance alongside Aryna Sabalenka at the Mixed Doubles tournament, but was ultimately defeated by Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten.

Following Djokovic’s US Open elimination, fans will have to stand by and see what’s next for tennis’s most successful player.

Add us as a preferred source on Google