Novak Djokovic addressed his retirement timeline and said that he would play in his 40s like sporting greats such as Tom Brady, LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion reached the semi-finals of all four major tournaments this year and said he wants to help shape the future of tennis.
Djokovic, who has more Grand Slam singles titles than any other men's player, is not ready to hang up his racquet yet and has been chasing one more to move clear of Australian Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam singles titles in history.
However, his last win came at the 2023 US Open when he was 36, the same age his great rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal also won their final majors.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner won two each this year, with Djokovic losing to world number two Sinner in the last four at Wimbledon and the French Open and Spaniard Alcaraz at the US Open.
Every tournament exit has led to questions about his future; however, Djokovic said he had no plans to retire and took inspiration from stars in other sports who have defied age to play at the top.
Speaking at a conference at Joy Forum in Riyadh, ahead of the Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament. Djokovic said, "Longevity is one of my biggest motivations."
"I really want to see how far I can go. If you see across all the global sports, Lebron James he is still going strong, he is 40, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tom Brady played until he was 40-something years old, it is unbelievable," he added.
The 38-year-old noted, "They are inspiring me."
Djokovic shared that tennis is a sport that will be revamped in coming years, and he wants "to be part of that change."
He spoke in Saudi Arabia for the Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament, where he and six-time major champion Alcaraz have been given a free pass to the semi-finals.
There is a reported $4.5 million in prize money on offer, with some players also likely to have been paid seven-figure sums to appear. The winner could earn around $6 million.
Djokovic was subsequently eliminated from the Six Kings tournament after Sinner secured a 6-2 6-4 victory in the semi-finals, and the Italian will now face Alcaraz in the final.
