Novak Djokovic, once the crown jewel of tennis’ golden era, has started embracing a new chapter in his journey. Though his career is still alive with remarkable feats, the Serbian maestro is now openly reflecting on legacy. As he put it himself, “I want somebody to break my record in the future or all of the records.”
For over twenty years, men’s tennis was synonymous with four names: Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray. Together they dominated the ATP landscape, keeping a stranglehold on the No. 1 ranking and rewriting Grand Slam history. Yet it was the so-called “Big Three” of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic that truly redefined greatness, amassing an astonishing 66 majors between them. Federer reached the fabled 20 first, Nadal edged past with 22, but Djokovic surged ahead and now stands at 24, still the man to beat.
That story has become the recurring theme of modern tennis—milestones falling at Djokovic’s feet. Whether it is his 428 weeks as world No. 1, his record 40 ATP Masters 1000 crowns, seven ATP Finals triumphs, or his place atop the prize money ladder with $188,934,053, Djokovic has left a statistical trail unmatched in the sport’s history.
Yet, in recent years, the complexion of competition has shifted. Federer bowed out in 2022, while Nadal and Murray joined him in retirement by 2024. The icons who shaped Djokovic’s fiercest battles are no longer across the net. New standard-bearers—Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner—have arrived, bringing with them fresh rivalries and youthful energy.
On the Jay Shetty Podcast, Djokovic confessed that this generational handover has not been seamless. “When Federer and Nadal and Murray, my biggest rivals, retired actually most recently in the in the last year or two, part of me left with them and I and I really feel that because and I thought it’s not going to be difficult for me to kind of shift my attention in terms of who are my principal rivals on the tour from them to someone else,” he said.
The Serb added, “But, you know, it is it is tough because I’m used to these names, these guys, these faces for 20 years and then new faces come in and it’s normal, how can I say evolution of our sport and it’s normal that you have new generations that are kind of come in and dominate the tour. I’m experiencing something I have never experienced before, but that’s that’s also fine, I’m trying to embrace this journey.”
Djokovic, who has long been the relentless chaser of records, now finds himself offering mentorship to those chasing him. His mindset is shifting from rivalry to responsibility. “But also I think what is very important to me personally and what I have expressed directly to all of my rivals currently today, the young guys who are going to be the carriers of the tennis for the next decade is that I’m here for them to share my experience even though it’s difficult because we’re facing each. But I still feel that in a way that’s also my role. It’s also my responsibility and it’s also a great opportunity for me to do that because it really fills my heart with joy that I’m able to convey my experiences, my knowledge, whatever that I can from my journey to a new generation.”
It’s a refreshing outlook from a man whose career was once defined almost entirely by an insatiable hunger to win. Now, beyond chasing trophies, Djokovic speaks like a steward of the sport—someone eager to ensure the next wave flourishes.
At 38, he remains adamant that evolution in tennis is not just inevitable but essential. “Naturally, the tennis should get better and we all want tennis to get better to be better and I want somebody to break my record in the future or all of the records. Why not? I mean this is how it should be,” he explained.
But his offer of guidance goes beyond forehands and footwork. Djokovic highlighted the pressures off court—the media glare, the strain of public relations, and the mental battles hidden beneath the glamour of professional sport. “If I can contribute in a way where I can say ‘hey aside from the barriers that we created in a rivalry, if you need help with I don’t know public relations, if it’s you know marketing, if it’s dealing with the outside world as well that is very difficult dealing with anxiety’.”
He continued, “We all have that you know we all know how it is to feel alone you let yourself down or you let other people down mental challenges in a high-level professional sport are 100% present with everyone. It’s just a matter of how you deal with it, who you have in your support system that can help you. So, I feel like it it was great when I was able as a kid to ask some of the the the guys who were playing at the top level, you know, some of the questions that were interesting me and that just hearing from them two or three sentences of how they think that they were dealing with it and how that affected them was huge to me. Even if you heard it from someone else, but just hearing it from them, it just has this resonant power and impact and it did help me a lot.”
The man who once defined himself by rivalry now seems just as inspired by the idea of mentorship. For Djokovic, greatness is no longer simply about holding records—it’s about passing the torch in a way that makes the next era brighter than the last.