Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs expresses concern for Novak Djokovic and his 'drive' for 25th Grand Slam title

Novak Djokovic's recent run of poor results prompted Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs to assess the Serb potentially adding a 25th Major title to his incredible haul of trophies. A 25th title triumph at a Grand Slam would help the former No. 1 leapfrog Margaret Court and become the most decorated tennis player in history as far as Major title wins are concerned.

Djokovic's fortunes in the 2025 tennis season so far have been mixed. While he did reach the semifinals of the Australian Open and the final of the Miami Open, his results elsewhere have mostly been disappointing. In the ongoing European claycourt swing, the Serb has already been dealt chastening defeats in his opening matches at the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Madrid Open.

Former women's doubles No. 1 Rennae Stubbs, who coached Serena Williams for the 2022 US Open, recently weighed in on Novak Djokovic's quest for a 25th Grand Slam title. Speaking on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, the Australian started by comparing the Serb to Williams, and went on to wonder if he would retire like Pete Sampras. The American ATP legend's last competitive outing yielded his 14th and final Major title at the 2002 US Open.

"Serena really wanted 25 (Major titles), but she didn't get it and does it define her? No. Of course not. She's still the greatest female player of all time and arguably the greatest player of all time. Novak now is sitting in that same spot, and I think the only thing that drives him is maybe winning one more and I could see him literally doing a Pete Sampras and dropping the mic and being like, 'I'm done.'," Stubbs said. (from 42:10)

However, Stubbs went on to remind listeners about the incredible level of difficulty the Serb is currently experiencing in light of his shocking losses so far in 2025.

"But, having said that, it's not that easy to win a Grand Slam anymore when you're not even winning f**king matches at regular tournaments in best of three sets against these guys. Come on," she added.

According to the 54-year-old, the Serb's next Grand Slam success story is most likely to come at Wimbledon, but it isn't a guarantee. Stubbs' cautious prediction stemmed from the presence of Carlos Alcaraz on the tour. Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in the finals of the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Wimbledon Championships.

"Wimbledon. He sort of said it in a press conference, 'I'm hoping to do well in France. I know I'm not playing well enough on clay.' He knows how good he is on grass. He is the best grasscourt player and Wimbledon champion over the last 15 years, and the guy that's beaten him twice in two finals, is still there," Stubbs said.

The Serb recently raised further eyebrows after deciding to withdraw from the 2025 Italian Open.

Novak Djokovic withdraws from Italian Open 2025; sparks concerning assessment from Jim Courier

Novak Djokovic (left) and Jim Courier (right) at the 2025 Australian Open (Source: Getty)

Following three successive defeats (Miami Open final, Monte-Carlo Masters second round, and Madrid Open second round), Novak Djokovic decided to pull out from the 2025 Italian Open. The Masters 1000 event's official X (formerly Twitter) handle confirmed the development on Tuesday, April 29.

The news came as a shock to many, and former ATP icon Jim Courier was among them. The American expressed his surprise at the Serb withdrawing from the tournament in Rome, particularly because it's the last high-profile event before the 2025 French Open.

"That's troubling. It's worrying for me as a Novak fan. If you're going to play one between Madrid and Rome (then) Rome would be the one you would want to play to get ready for Roland Garros. I don't know what to make of it, but I don't like the way it feels in the gut. It's a very strange thing to announce a pullout now, well in advance of it, and we'll see what it all means when we get to Roland Garros," Courier told Tennis Channel.

Djokovic has played 19 matches so far in the 2025 tennis season and won 12 of them. His last ATP Tour-level title came back in 2023, when he won the Nitto ATP Finals title.