Novak Djokovic has had a rather forgettable Grand Slam season in 2022, which came a year after a phenomenal show in 2021 where he had picked three majors to equal Roger Federer's Grand Slam record. Djokovic was barred from entering Australia, denying him the opportunity to defend his title while the Serb faced a similar for the US Open, both owing his refusal to take Covid vaccination. Weeks after his ban from entering America, Djokovic's uncle has made a massive revelation on the tennis icon's retirement plan, with a rather stern warning.
Djokovic had deported form Australia owing to his stance on Covid vaccination and had later revealed in an interview that he will not take the jab until he has enough information on it and that he is ready to accept the consequences for it. It was a scary ordeal in Australia and he was denied entry to the US as well, which also affected his ranking and opportunity to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin.
However, his uncle, Goran Djokovic, believes that missing two Grand Slams has only extended his retirement plan.
He told The Pavlovic Today: "The ordeal he went through this year in Australia only extended his career. Instead of maybe retiring from tennis in three or four years, his career has been extended for five, or six years. He is resting his body."
Djokovic was slated to make a return to court for the Davis Cup, but opted out of the match against Spain owing to personal reasons. He is likely to return later this month for the Laver Cup in London where he will be joined by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray along with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud for Team Europe.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Hindustan Times.
