SAD NEWS: Heartbreaking Novak Djokovic statement may explain the odd 2024 season thus far.

Novak Djokovic got open and told Nick Kyrgios why he was “hurting”

Novak Djokovic made a devastating admission while appearing on Nick Kyrgios’ podcast. The world number one explained why he’s “hurting” while on the tennis tour, which appears to explain his peculiar season. Djokovic has only played five tournaments this year, and he has yet to reach the final.

Djokovic and Kyrgios rekindled their bromance when the 24-time Grand Slam champion appeared on Kyrgios’ Good Trouble podcast. Although the episode was recorded at the Australian Open in January, it provided insight into some of Djokovic’s current challenges away from the tennis court. The 36-year-old has had an unusual season by his standards, drastically limiting his schedule and suffering several surprise early exits. And Djokovic appears to be divided between pursuing his profession and missing his family, which may explain why he has pulled out of so many tournaments.

“The little Novak, the four-year-old Novak, who began playing tennis in Kopaonik, Serbia, is still inside, in love with the sport, and yearning for more. Right?” The world No. 1 informed Kyrgios. “But at the same time, there’s probably this more mature Novak, father and husband, who says, ‘Come on, man.'” There are other things in life, too.” Djokovic and his wife Jelena have two children, Stefan (9) and Tara (6).

And he was already struggling to be away from them while in Australia for the first two events of the season. He went on to say, “I’m really missing my children right now. They’re back in Europe, and I haven’t seen them in weeks. “If I perform well here, I may not see them for another two to three weeks, who knows? And abandoning them hurts me more and more. It’s not surprising that Djokovic skipped two tournaments this year for to personal concerns.

When the Serb announced his withdrawal from the Miami Open in March, he tweeted, “At this stage of my career, I’m balancing my private and professional schedule.” He also withdrew from last month’s Madrid Open for “non-medical reasons,” most likely in an effort to balance family life with the tennis tour. When he has competed, his results haven’t met his customary high expectations. Djokovic started the year with a defeat in Australia, his first since 2018. He lost to Alex De Minaur in the United Cup and Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals.

He subsequently went to Indian Wells for his first match in five years, but was surprised by then-world No. 123 and fortunate loser Luca Nardi in the second round. Djokovic had his best Monte-Carlo Masters performance since 2015, reaching the semi-finals before losing to Casper Ruud. However, Djokovic struggled again at the Italian Open, losing 6-2 6-3 to Alejandro Tabilo in his second match. He is now not anticipated to play till defending his French Open title.