"There is no reason for me to think about leaving tennis" - Novak Djokovic clarifies misinterpreted on-court comment

After defeating Casper Ruud at the 2021 ATP Finals, Novak Djokovic was heard saying in the on-court interview that that he hopes to continue playing tennis for a couple more years. But the Serb cleared the air around that comment during his post-match press conference, asserting that he doesn't believe the end of his career is in sight.

Djokovic also admitted he was still trying to work out why he started slowly against Ruud in the opening match in Turin. The Serb went an early break down but rebounded to complete a 7-6(4), 6-2 in his first outing at the year-end championship's new venue.

Speaking in Italian during the on-court post-match interview, Novak Djokovic had stated that he wanted to keep playing for "a couple" more years, by which he meant "a few" more years. But that was translated and interpreted by some as meaning "two" years, leading to speculation about the Serb having set a date for retirement.

As it turns out, though, there is little reason for his fans to worry right now.

"No, no, I didn’t mean it that way - 'Paio d'anni' means couple of years," Djokovic said during his post-match presser. "I said 'couple' meaning, I don't know - I thought couple of years playing at the highest level. Why not? I mean, it would be great. Look, I don't have a number in my mind, you know, of the years I still want to play at this level."

The 34-year-old further insisted he has not decided on any window of time for his career, pointing to the fact that he is still at the very top of the game.

"I don’t have a limit," Djokovic continued. "I don't want to impose a limit to myself at all, because I still enjoy playing tennis, and I really enjoy competition and playing at the highest level. Being No. 1 in the world, there is no reason for me yet to think about leaving tennis. You know, I really am in a good place at the moment. So I’m sorry if someone misinterpreted that."

Novak Djokovic went on to reveal that he expects to be able to retire on his own terms given his ability to manage his body. He also claimed he has enough left in the tank mentally and physically to continue playing for the foreseeable future.

"I take care of my body along with my team pretty well, so I believe it won't be for the injury actually," Djokovic said. "I hope it won't be for that, that it will come on my own terms, whenever that moment arrives, that I'll be very clear with myself that that's it, you know, that that chapter of my life is done, that I can move on. But I just don't feel that's around the corner, so to say. I still feel like I have years in my legs and in my heart and in my head."

"I’m still trying to figure out what happened" - Novak Djokovic on his slow start against Casper Ruud

Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud shake hands after their match at the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals

During the press conference, Novak Djokovic also reflected on his poor start in the match against Casper Ruud. The 34-year-old admitted to being caught off guard by his opponent's serving.

"It was a really terrible start, but also funny because I’m still trying to figure out what happened," Djokovic said. "Casper started strong. He was serving well. The altitude, fast court, fast balls – it favors big servers."

"I knew he had a solid serve, but maybe not as good as [Daniil] Medvedev or [Alexander] Zverev," the Serb added. "He did positively surprise me with this serve, particularly in the first set. I just managed to read it better in the second set. But it was a close one."

Novak Djokovic was broken by the World No. 8 in the opening game and he soon fell 3-1 behind. But the World No. 1 recovered in time to take the opening set on a tiebreak, converting his third set point.

Djokovic then broke the Norwegian twice and lost just three points on serve in a one-sided second set.