“I don’t know how long he is ready to play” - Novak Djokovic jokes about coaching Holger Rune after retirement

Novak Djokovic has stated that coaching Holger Rune after retirement would be contingent on how long the Dane intends to play tennis.

The top eight men's tennis players in the world, including Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune, are all set to start their 2023 ATP Finals campaign in Turin, Italy, this week.

During a press conference ahead of the year-end championship, the World No. 1 was asked if he envisaged himself coaching the 20-year-old Dane once he retires from tennis himself. Djokovic responded in jest, saying:

“Umm..I don’t know how long he’s ready to play, you know, for that to happen. No I’m kidding, umm.. look I don’t know, it’s seems a very, very far thought for now."

The 24-time Grand Slam champion then stated that Holger Rune's game was similar to his, adding that the Dane, like him, is athletic and full of enthusiasm on the court.

"Rune and I play similar tennis, we move well and defend well, he is very concrete and like me, he shows a lot of energy on the court. I can’t wait to face him, having him in the group we will play against him for the second time in a few days, it will certainly be a hard-fought match," he said.

Djokovic and Rune are placed in the same group, along with Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas, in the ATP Finals draw.

The 36-year-old will take on eighth seed Rune in their first round-robin match on Sunday, just a few days after their quarterfinal match at the 2023 Paris Masters. Djokovic downed the defending champion in a three-set thriller, 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-4, tying their head-to-head record at two wins apiece.

Novak Djokovic: "The biggest goal right now is to end the season as the No. 1 player in the world"

Djokovic's main goal for this year

Novak Djokovic has his eyes locked on a major goal at the Nitto ATP Finals -- to wrap up the year as World No. 1 for an unprecedented eighth time.

The Serb told ATP media on Friday that his ultimate aim now is to clinch the top spot in the ATP rankings for the end of the season, not to mention bagging the Finals tournament for the seventh time.

“For me, the biggest goal right now is to end the season as the No. 1 player in the world, so hopefully I can clinch it. I need one win, so hopefully that happens. And then of course, I would love to win the tournament as well. But that's the goal and then let's see what happens afterwards.”

If Djokovic wins just one match in Turin this week, he will be assured of the year-end No. 1 spot. However, if he loses all three of his group matches and Carlos Alcaraz goes undefeated, the Spaniard will finish the season as World No. 1 for the second year running.