Serbian Tennis star Novak Djokovic cheekily apologised to the youngsters coming through as he aims to play the sport for as long as he can. With anchor Max Kellerman asking whether the youngsters must beat Djokovic into retirement, the 38-year-old responded, "It's not happening, I'm sorry, sparking laughter.
Despite falling at the semi-final hurdle in the last few Grand Slams, Djokovic remains the men's player with most titles, snaffling 24 of them. Nevertheless, the veteran has admitted on quite a few occasions that age has caught up to him due to lack of speed but likely remains determined to play in the Australian Open next year.
Watch the below video as Kellerman asks:
"The young guys will have to beat you into retirement. You’re not just going to go away."
Before a cheeky smile, Djokovic said:
"It's not happening, sorry. I'm sorry to disappoint them, it's not happening."
"I want to really see how far I can go" - Novak Djokovic
Djokovic stated the reason behind continuing to play by underlining that legends like LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo have inspired him to push the limits. He elaborated:
"One of my biggest motivations is I want to really see how far I can go. If you see across all global sports, LeBron James, he is still going strong. He is 40. Cristiano Ronaldo. Tom Brady played till he was 40 something years old. It's unbelievable, they're inspiring me as well. I want to keep going, that is one of the motivations I have. I want to also live to see the change coming in our sport."
The semi-final of Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia will see Djokovic face Jannik Sinner, who had defeated him in the recent US Open semi-final.
