Greg Rusedski thinks Novak Djokovic should stay in the game as long as he is enjoying the challenge, and the 1997 US Open finalist also adds that the Serb is evidently the “third-best player” in men’s tennis despite being is ranked at No. 4 in the world. 

Throughout 2024, Djokovic dealt with retirement questions. The same was the case this year – even to a greater extent. However, the 38-year-old has been very directly shutting down retirement rumors so far. In one of his recent interviews, the record 24-time Grand Slam champion even indicated that he would to have his last tournament at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

This year, Djokovic made the semifinals in all four Grand Slams. The main reasons why he didn’t manage to make it a step further were an unfortunate hamstring injury at the Australian Open, as well as the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Rusedski on Djokovic’s possible retirement: It’s time to retire when you are not enjoying it anymore

“You know it’s time to retire when you are not enjoying it anymore. He is still the third-best player in the world, even though the rankings don’t say so. Can he beat Alcaraz and Sinner in three out of five sets back to back? Possibly not. Maybe at Wimbledon, but if he is still enjoying the challenge, why not try and stay out there,” Rusedski told Tennis365.

After making his point clear, Rusedski noted that Djokovic’s “biggest disappointment” in 2025 must have been beating Alcaraz in the Australian Open quarterfinal and then being forced to retire against Alexander Zverev due to a hamstring injury.

“Now, he is probably going to need a bit of luck to win a major because beating those two guys back-to-back, I don’t know. What I will never do is write off a great champion. I’ve done that in the past and it didn’t work out well for me,” the 1997 US Open finalist added.

Djokovic vowed to give his best to try to challenge Alcaraz and Sinner in 2026.