Novak Djokovic "sad" he is the last remaining player of the golden era

The 24-time Grand Slam champion was still the undisputed king of men's tennis this time last year after he won three of the four Grand Slam titles in 2023 and ended the season as world No 1 and with a win at the ATP Finals in Turin.

Yet his reign at the top came to a crashing halt this year, with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz winning two Grand Slam titles each and Djokovic failing to win a single regular tour event.

He did achieve his big goal for 2024 after claiming an Olympic gold medal in Paris with a win against Alcaraz in the final, but his motivation has been waning at the age of 37 and he has cast doubt over how much longer he will stay on the tour.

Prior to taking part in a farewell match for Argentine tennis legend Juan Martin del Porto on Sunday, he opened up about his feelings on a curious year that has seen the exit of some of his long-time rivals, with Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray both retiring.

Djokovic is now playing a new era of men's tennis dominated by Sinner and Alcaraz, but he admits he still sees himself as part of a different generation.

"I am still playing and I believe I am part of a golden era," he said.

"(Roger) Federer, Nadal, Murray, Delpo, (Stan) Wawrinka, it is a very special era for our sport. Our personal careers have been influenced by all these rivalries of the last 15 years. For me, looking at this year, it is an incredible thing.

"I am a bit sad because my greatest rivals have left. A part of me, in terms of tennis, also leaves with them, but I continue to seek this motivation.

"Now I work with a new coach, one of my biggest rivals, who inspires me to see if we can achieve great things in our sport."

Djokovic also paid tribute to 2009 US Open champion Del Porto, who was forced to cut short his career due to injury.

"His career is legendary as it has been, but I believe that, as all of us here would agree, he has had bad luck with injuries," he added.

"Surely his career could have been greater if he had not had knee injuries. I have had some serious injuries, but not with such bad luck as him.

"Injuries are the biggest rival of a professional athlete; when you don't have health, you can't do the things you dedicate your life to. I am saddened by everything I have observed with Delpo, but today we are here to celebrate.

"There was always a lot of respect at the end. That's why I love Juan Martín so much; he is a very nice person. When you compete, it is normal to want to win, but we are humans and we are there to share strong emotions, that tension that is always felt on the court."

Del Porto repaid the compliments, as he suggested Djokovic is still the man to beat when he is at his best.

"Today is the end of my career, not Novak'," said Del Porto. "He is still the best, tennis-wise there's no one like him.

"When he's in good physical condition, he has shown he can win at the Olympics, reach Grand Slam finals. I don't want to think about how much longer Djokovic will be around.

"I watch little tennis, but what I do watch are his (Djokovic) matches. We need to enjoy him without thinking about any of that."

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