The last Masters 1000 of the season ended with the victory of Alexander Zverev, who clearly defeated the local idol Ugo Humbert by winning the title in Paris-Bercy. The top players will now travel to Turin for the Nitto ATP Finals and there is great anticipation to know if Novak Djokovic will be present.
Whether or not the Serbian player is in the group stage could upset the balance, even if the 24-time Grand Slam champion is not 100% sure of the qualification. At the moment, it seems quite likely that Nola will get access to the ATP Finals, unless there are some clamorous surprises in this week’s tournaments.
However, the former world number 1 may decide to miss the last big event of the ATP season even if he qualifies. The 37-year-old from Belgrade has already skipped the Rolex Paris Masters and went on holiday to Maldives with his family, which is why it seems quite unlikely that he will be present in Turin.
Novak Djokovic, Shanghai Masters 2024© Stream screenshot
Novak has not practiced in the last week and had already confided that the ATP Finals were no longer a goal for him at this point in his career. Djokovic has triumphed in Turin in the last two editions and a forfeit would have important repercussions on the ATP ranking.
If he decides to skip the Nitto ATP Finals, the Serbian legend could slip out of the top 8 of the ATP ranking and have a very difficult draw at the next Australian Open. It’s no secret that Nole’s next big goal is to win the 25th Major title of his legendary career and at Melbourne Park he always expressed a great tennis.
The ATP Finals draw will take place on Thursday, which is why we will know very soon the decision of the former world number 1. The 24-time Grand Slam champion is seriously facing a year-end without winning an ATP title, but still having achieved his dream of winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. In recent years, Novak’s schedule has changed a lot since he was younger. The 37-year-old from Belgrade has decided to play fewer tournaments and focus only on those events where he is really motivated and hungry.
Much uncertainty
In a press conference during the WTA Finals, Iga Swiatek praised Djokovic’s approach: “Well, yeah, honestly it’s not easy. I feel like, I don’t know, understanding some decisions, it’s more kind of a grown-up thing to do. Understanding this long-term thing, for sure, is important if I want my career to be really long and balancing everything out. But honestly, well, sometimes it’s hard to make a decision.
Novak Djokovic, Paris Masters 2023© Stream screenshot
But for sure it was much harder, like, couple of years ago to make these kind of decisions. Now I feel like I know a bit more. Probably in the future I’m going to have to also make some decisions. You can see the most experienced players on tour, they are a bit older, skipping some tournaments, but actually being able to play their best games on Grand Slams, the biggest events that they really care about. I think like Novak, for example, is a great example of that. We can learn from people like that.”
Nole’s schedule causes debate
Despite having played very little in 2024 and missing several important tournaments, the Serbian ace came close to qualifying for the ATP Finals especially thanks to the final reached at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai a few weeks ago. The former world number 1 has returned to China five years after his last time and reached the final act, losing in two sets to Jannik Sinner.
Novak Djokovic & Jannik Sinner, Shanghai Masters 2024© Stream screenshot
In the latest edition of his podcast, former American star Andy Roddick explained Nole’s approach at this point of his career: “He will try to juggle the calendar, ensuring enough matches before the Grand Slams. But from what I understand from Djokovic’s words, he no longer cares about the rankings. He knows what he has achieved, and he cannot hold on to the number 1 spot forever. He has been there the most weeks of anyone. This is how the next phase of his career will unfold, choosing where he plays. He didn’t care about Paris; he won’t play in Turin.” He also added: “Novak has said it in many ways, and we don’t want this to take the spotlight away from Tommy Paul, but Novak will choose where he plays now”.
Despite being 37, Nole’s decision to skip the ATP Finals without a good reason would still be much debated. This is the most important event under the ATP acronym, which would like to count on one of its most representative players ever.
