Fire is still burning as Djoker puts off retirement just yet

Novak Djokovic says he will retire when he’s no longer a threat to win majors.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic during a break in his men's singles match against France's Adrian Mannarino at the Australian Open on Sunday. Picture: Martin Keep/AFP

Novak Djokovic is either telling fibs or faking it. He complained of illness to his entourage at the Australian Open on Sunday before denying he was crook. Either his on-court behaviour or post-match comments were fabricated. A penny for the truth.

Perhaps it’s a bit of both. Perhaps he’s mildly under-the-weather but doesn’t want his next opponent, American Taylor Fritz, to realise. What we know beyond any shadow of doubt is that Djokovic’s shot-making was superb against Adrian Mannarino in round four. He blew his nose at a change of ends, then blew the Frenchman away 6-0, 6-0, 6-3.

The World No.1 had a head cold when the tournament began. He appeared to think about nothing except his sickness against Mannarino only to say in his on-court interview: “I wasn’t thinking about it. I was going with the flow.” You could have fooled us. He looked like he’d go straight from Rod Laver Arena to a chemist. Death warmed up? His Open’s alive and kicking.

The 36-year-old Djokovic is the world No.1. He’s won more major titles than any male player in history. He revealed on Sunday his retirement plans. He doesn’t yet have any.

“I feel while being No.1 and still on top of the game, I don’t feel like leaving tennis in that position,” Djokovic said. “I feel like I want to keep on going. When I feel that I am not able to compete at the highest level with the guys and be a contender for a grand slam title, then I’ll probably consider going into retirement.

“But that can change. I mean, a lot of things can change. I’m not a teenager anymore. I’m a father and a husband. A lot of things are happening in the private life off court that I enjoy, that require my attention, my presence, my energy. I’m really blessed to be where I am. Let’s see how far it goes.”

You’d think the mega-intense, mega-driven, mega-ambitious Djokovic would be somewhat more relaxed after overtaking Rafael Nadal (22 majors) and Roger Federer (21) as the most successful men’s player in history. He expected it himself. Hasn’t happened.

“I thought maybe I would this year feel slightly more relaxed, for lack of a better term, or maybe less tension,” he said. “Less stress on practice sessions and matches. But it’s not like that. It is as it always was. Very high intensity. You can see it even today. I was six-love, two-love up. It was a long game and I was having heated discussions with my box. I always look for the best performance from myself. I put a lot of effort every single day into making it happen. When it doesn’t happen, I’m frustrated. It’s still there, the fire is still burning. I think that’s what has allowed me to be where I am and achieve the things that I have achieved.”

Djokovic has a few quid in the bank. His career prizemoney is $275m and endorsements have earned him at least double that amount. Nothing can take away his achievements but he relishes the challenge of winning more.

“Part of me, of course, is enjoying the process; otherwise I wouldn’t be playing,” he said. “I’m not playing because I need more money or I need more points. I just want to play.”