Tennis legend predicted Djokovic would retire after the Australian Open, sparking backlash from 6,000 Serbian fans

“I believe the Australian Open will be the last Grand Slam he competes in,” Rene Stubb shared her view on Djokovic’s future after he was defeated by Alcaraz in the US Open semifinals. Yet, ironically, the Serbian player has had a strong season: making it to four Grand Slam semifinals, one withdrawal due to injury, and three losses to the combination of Alcaraz and Sinner. He is still relentlessly chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, which caused controversy for Stubb, with many Serbian fans accusing her of questioning Djokovic’s achievements.

On October 20th, during her tennis podcast “Rene Stubb’s Tennis Podcast,” Stubb questioned what motivates Djokovic to keep going after having conquered everything. “He no longer aims to win Masters or 500-level titles; he holds all the records and has no reason to keep playing. I just feel it’s a huge mental strain on him,” Stubb said.

The former coach of Serena Williams insisted her words were misunderstood and mistranslated, emphasizing that her respect for Djokovic remains unchanged. However, her comments sparked an unexpected storm. Djokovic is the most accomplished player in tennis history, boasting 24 Grand Slam titles, 428 weeks as world number one, 40 ATP Masters 1000 titles, 7 ATP Finals championships, and an Olympic gold medal—his achievements stand as a monument to dominance, discipline, and resilience.

Soon after, media headlines distorted her original intent, making it sound more severe. The public backlash was swift and intense. Thousands of Serbian fans flooded her social media, accusing her of disrespecting their national hero.

In the following Monday’s podcast episode, Stubb addressed the controversy and expressed dissatisfaction with the media’s misrepresentation: “They took parts of our podcast out of context and made it a headline implying Djokovic should retire now, that there’s no point in continuing because he can’t win anymore, right?”

“I was merely paraphrasing. I never said those exact words. I’ve never said that. Let me repeat, he doesn’t need to keep playing tennis because he has already achieved everything,” she explained, clarifying that her intention was to praise, not criticize.

Stubb went on: “When you’re the greatest player in history and hold the record for most Grand Slam wins, you understand that people will twist your words, take one sentence out of context, turn it into a headline, and then 65,000 Serbians will attack me for something I never truly said.”

She concluded with a mix of resilience and grace: “You might say, well, just ignore them. That’s true, I could ignore them. But the key is that my comments were taken out of context. If you keep listening, my next sentence was that I hope he continues to compete. We enjoy seeing him in the draw.”

Although Stubb has clarified her stance, debates about Djokovic’s future persist, even as the Serbian tennis icon himself hints that he will craft his farewell on his own terms, fueled by the passion that built his tennis empire.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Huohua)