"I would love to test my abilities as a mentor & as a coach" - Novak Djokovic on post-retirement plans

Novak Djokovic is still going strong on the men's tour, and is expected to keep playing for at least another couple of years. But after his retirement, whenever that happens, Djokovic wants to continue being involved with the sport - as a coach or mentor.

The Serb has publicly stated that he has several major goals still left as a player - including breaking Roger Federer's record of most weeks at No. 1 (310 weeks) and winning the most singles Grand Slams in men's tennis history. Novak Djokovic will break Federer's No. 1 record if he remains atop the world rankings till 8 March 2021, and he currently holds 17 Grand Slams - just three shy of Federer and Rafael Nadal who have 20 each.

But once he is done breaking these records, Djokovic likes the idea of attending tennis tournaments as someone who is not directly responsible for getting the win.

"I would love to travel to tournaments without pressure, without having to think how much I need to practice, what is the best way to prepare myself etc. It is going to be a huge pleasure for me," Djokovic said.

Novak Djokovic has been playing tennis since he was 4 years old, and he turned professional in 2003. But despite having to handle the relentless pressure of the professional tour for dozens of years, Djokovic still loves the sport with all his heart.

"I am not one of those players that is fed up with tennis and cannot wait to never see the court again (once my playing career is over). It is quite the opposite actually - I love tennis and I would love to test my abilities as a mentor and as a coach," Djokovic added.

#Novak #Djokovic would love to become a coach someday. "I am not one of those players that is fed up with tennis and cannot wait to never see the court again". 👇 pic.twitter.com/3AjZrYBwt7

— Saša Ozmo (@ozmo_sasa) October 31, 2020

Novak Djokovic could follow in the footsteps of legendary players-turned-coaches

Over the past decade, many former legends and champions of the game have turned to coaching post retirement. Novak Djokovic himself hired six-time Grand Slam winner Boris Becker for a three-year period at the end of the 2013 season.

Novak Djokovic and Boris Becker

Roger Federer has worked with Stefan Edberg, another six-time Grand Slam winner in the past, and currently has former World No. 3 Ivan Ljubicic as part of his coaching team. World No. 2 Rafael Nadal's coaching team includes Carlos Moya, a former World No. 1 as well.

US Open champion Dominic Thiem hired former French Open winner Thomas Muster for a very brief period earlier this year, while former World No. 3 David Ferrer is currently working with German Alexander Zverev.

After his quarterfinal exit at the Vienna Open on Friday, Novak Djokovic decided to go back to his family in Serbia before playing his final tournament of the season at the ATP Finals in London. He is almost certain to end 2020 as the World No. 1, provided Rafael Nadal does not enter the Sofia Open ATP event.