"Lot of people would love me to retire" – Novak Djokovic quashes claims of retirement like Nadal and Murray as he prepares for Paris Olympics 2024

Novak Djokovic recently quashed the speculations about his retirement. He made the statement during Serbia's official press conference at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

He possesses a bronze medal he won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the men's singles category but hasn't finished on the podium since then. The Paris Games are his fifth and likely final attempt to secure the coveted gold medal.

Along with the Serb, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray are set to represent their country at the Olympics for the final time in Paris with the Scot having announced to call it a day.

Djokovic, who formed the dominant Big Four with Roger Federer, Nadal, and Murray, sat down with the media ahead of the Paris 2024 opening ceremony and talked about Nadal and Murray's situation. He wished Murray the best sendoff and hoped for the Spaniard to extend his career for the sake of tennis. He said:

"I heard the news about Andy and I hope that he will have the best possible farewell in his last competitive match here in Olympics for him and his country. He is a legend of our sport, he’s been an incredibly important player for tennis globally.

"Nadal of course the same, even more, all the results and achievements he has had, particularly in this city in Roland Garros. Nadal still didn’t say when his last tournament will be so hopefully, for the sake of the sport, he can keep going."

The 24-time Grand Slam champion then denied harboring any thoughts about his retirement to keep the Big Four era alive.

"I don’t have the retirement clause in my mind to be honest even though I know a lot of people would love me to retire so that this era is done. But I think as long as one of us is left in the competition, I think the era is still going," he said during the press briefing.

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Novak Djokovic: "I'll keep going until I don’t enjoy it anymore"

Novak Djokovic (Getty)

In the same press conference, Novak Djokovic further accepted the arrival of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as the passing of the torch moment.

"Of course, there’s this change of generation and you have Alcaraz and Sinner currently that are two best players in the world, deservedly. They are playing on a very high level, particularly this year. They’re very young, they’re going to carry this sport in the future," the 37-year-old said.

However, he reiterated his stance on retirement suggesting to compete as long as he pleases.

"But I’ve been present for the shift or change of many generations in the last 15 years and I like to see that. Of course, the end is near than the beginning for me personally as well but I still enjoy competition and will keep going until I don’t enjoy it anymore," Djokovic added.

Djokovic will be leading the men's singles draw at the Olympics as the first seed after World No. 1 Jannik Sinner's withdrawal from the competition to be held at Roland Garros.