Novak Djokovic retirement: Everything we know about when Serb will quit tennis

Is the career of the legendary finally coming to an end? The last man standing from the sport's fabled 'big four' has endured another hammer blow this week, falling at the first hurdle in the Monte-Carlo Masters.

The Serbian , casting fresh doubts on his future. At 37, the professional approach and fitness levels of Djokovic have never been questioned, but for the first time, the all-time great appears vulnerable on court. He's yet to put a timeframe on retirement, but his comments over the past few months have become increasingly telling.

Express Sport takes a close look at what we know about his future plans so far...

A "horrible" feeling in Monte Carlo

If watching Djokovic struggle for parity against world No.32 Tabilo didn't set alarm bells ringing for his army of fans, . After his defeat, he gave a harrowing insight into how he was feeling about his display.

"It was actually more like the worst day," he said. "Look, I was hoping it was not going to happen, but it was quite a high probability I'm going to play this way. I don't know. Just horrible. Horrible feeling to play this way, and just sorry for all the people that have to witness this."

It is telling that Djokovic, renowned for his defiance and strength of character, was so evidently downbeat and emotional. At best, his words signified temporary disappointment, but at worst, they sounded like the beginning of the end.

Battling 'inner voices'

Prior to Monte Carlo, Djokovic had shown signs of reviving his 2025 campaign by reaching the final of the Miami Open . He admitted after that tournament that , but implied form would be critical to his plans.

"When I'm playing that way, obviously, it gives me more inspiration to keep going," he said. "It just feels great on the court when you're striking the ball well when you're winning matches.

"Obviously, when you start to play less good, start to lose early in the tournament, that's when more questions appear," he added. "More, I guess, inner voices which are bringing doubts and conversations of whether you should keep going and how much and so forth."

Defying his family

Prior to the Djokovic tellingly . Srdjan remains a hugely influential figure in the star's career, but his son vowed to make his own decision based on when he could no longer compete at elite level.

"My dad has been trying to retire me for a while now," he said. "I am thinking about how I want to end it and when I want to end it. No, actually, I take that back. I think more about the 'how' than the 'when'. If I start to lose more and feel there's a bigger gap, that I face more challenges in overcoming those big obstacles in Grand Slams, then I'll probably call it a day."

His love of the game

Djokovic remains tied with Margaret Court on 24 Grand Slam titles, and there is a perception that he'll secure No.25 before walking away or die trying. However, ahead of the Shanghai Masters last year, he argued that his attachment to the sport outweighed his desire to chase more records before retirement.

"My love for tennis will never fade away," he said. "I have a lot of emotions when I'm playing, and not particularly only in the tournament, but also practice sessions. Sometimes, it's not always going your way, but I think my relationship with tennis goes much deeper than a tournament or a year of success or failure.

"It's just a sport that I fell in love with when I was very young and I still have the love for the sport. Even when I retire from professional tennis, I feel like I'm going to stay in tennis, and stay involved in different roles because I feel like I owe this sport a lot."

"My love for tennis will never fade away," he said. "I have a lot of emotions when I'm playing, and not particularly only in the tournament, but also practice sessions. Sometimes, it's not always going your way, but I think my relationship with tennis goes much deeper than a tournament or a year of success or failure.

"It's just a sport that I fell in love with when I was very young and I still have the love for the sport. Even when I retire from professional tennis, I feel like I'm going to stay in tennis, and stay involved in different roles because I feel like I owe this sport a lot."