John Isner has raised doubts over whether former world number one Novak Djokovic will compete in the ATP Tour finals in Turin. The 38-year-old has endured a difficult couple of weeks after losing to the world No. 204 Valentin Vacherot in the Shanghai Masters semi-final, retiring from his third-place playoff match at the Six Kings Slam and withdrawing from the Paris Masters.
But there are fears over whether the Serbian will feature in the year-ending climax to the ATP Tour, despite being within the cut for the tournament alongside Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev. It has been suggested that Djokovic will follow in the footsteps of former foes Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to miss the tournament after becoming increasingly selective over his tournaments, but in doing so, he would miss out on a potential £3.7million payday – the prize money on offer to the winner.
Up next on the Tour is the ATP 250 in Athens, which was one of the only tournaments that the iconic tennis star committed to this year. The tournament is owned by his family and relocated from Belgrade, so it seems unlikely that he will miss it.
However, there are big questions around the Serb’s fitness after he retired against Taylor Fritz in the third-place match at the Kings Slam earlier this month.
There have been signs of improvement, and eyes will be on Djokovic this weekend when the tournament in Athens gets underway. However, Isner believes that he will miss the ATP finale in Turin in order to focus on 2026 after Djokovic confirmed he was withdrawing from the Paris Masters.
“I don’t think so,” he said when asked if the 24-time Grand Slam champion would play the ATP Finals. “And I hope I’m wrong. I think everyone would love to see him in Turin.
“The fact that he’s already qualified playing the schedule that he’s played this year is just completely absurd. At 38 years old, it needs mentioning again. But I don’t think he’s playing. He didn’t play last year. Pulled out of Paris. I think he’s just gearing up for 2026.”
Djokovic’s brother Djordje, provided an update regarding the 38-year-old’s fitness ahead of the Hellenic Championship this weekend.
He admitted that problems have worsened for the world number five but signs are improving. Djordje said: “He withdrew from Paris, but he is working hard to recover. He has specific problems that worsened in Shanghai.
“He feels good now, he is doing everything in his power to be in the best possible condition and play in Athens. He has said how important it is for him to play in this competition, in front of the Greek fans. He is a mastermind when it comes to preparation and recovery, and that is why he is the best.”
