Novak Djokovic’s hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin came to an end with an early defeat in the Paris Masters and the question of what comes next for the 24-time Grand Slam champion is back on the agenda.

Djokovic will turn 40 next May and while he can look back on a 2026 season that included an appearance in the Australian Open final and a run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon, the elusive Grand Slam title he has been chasing since his 2023 US Open win did not arrive.

The sands of time have been catching up with Djokovic as he has struggled to get through tournaments without picking up injuries that have impacted his ambitions, with retirement questions raised time and again when the Serbian legend faces the media.

Appearing on the latest edition of the Off Court with Greg Rusedski podcast that will be released on Monday, former world No 1 Jim Courier admitted he has given up second-guessing what comes next for Djokovic and he suggested the Serbian will need to make his own decisions on when to walk away from the sport.

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“I don’t know what to believe with Novak anymore, honestly,” said Courier. “He’s he’s such a boundary pusher. It’s amazing.

“My biggest question is where does he want to end his career? You know, does he have sort of that picture-perfect finish? I know he’s said publicly many times that the Olympics is where he wants to end his career, and maybe that is where it’ll be.

“He’ll need luck to stay healthy to get there, cause that’s not next year. So he’s got a little bit of time to get to it.

“He’s done things with his body over the course of his career to maintain it with all the flexibility work. I think that’s been essential. But I’m just astonished that he still wants to keep pushing himself after all this time, and especially because of where his kids are in their lives.

“I have kids that are of a very similar age to his and it’s painful to be away from them, because we’re running out of that window before they kind of don’t want to spend time with you. But

“It’s hard to really put yourself into Novak’s brain, and understand what drives him, right? He’s just a different kind of cat.”

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Former British No 1 Rusedski also gave his verdict on Djokovic, as he believes Djokovic will need some luck to win another Grand Slam title.

“Things have to line up for him to get that number 25,” said Rusedski. “He needs a little bit of luck for that to happen with these guys, you know, getting injured with Alcaraz and Sinner.

“I think with Novak, play as long as you want. The guy’s an absolute legend. To me, he’s the greatest of all time. I know we can look at numbers, but his longevity and the level he’s playing at 39 years of age.

“So let’s enjoy him for as long as he wants to keep playing. He still had a great season and we hope he continues for many years.”