India, Jan. 19 -- Novak Djokovic is currently pursuing a record-extending 11th Australian Open Grand Slam title in Melbourne, with a fourth-round match against Jiri Lehecka scheduled for Sunday. The Serbian star is also striving to secure a record-extending 24th Grand Slam title in men's singles.

At 37 years of age, Djokovic stands as the last remaining member of the 'Big Three', following Rafael Nadal's retirement announcement last year. Additionally, rival Andy Murray has also retired after the 2024 Paris Olympics and has joined Djokovic's coaching team.

Despite his age, Djokovic has not indicated any intentions of retirement and appears poised to compete for at least two more seasons, bolstered by his mental and physical resilience. However, his wife Jelena revealed that he nearly ended his career seven years ago, requiring several days of persuasion to reverse his decision.

In an interview with In Depth, she recounted that after his unexpected defeat to Benoit Paire in the first round of the 2018 Miami Open, Djokovic expressed his desire to retire. "He gathered all of us and said, 'You know guys, I'm done'," she recalled.

"I responded, 'But you can't quit', and we were in tears, saying, 'What are you doing? This is not the time. 

"It was quite overwhelming. We went on a holiday together. When he decides he doesn't want to play tennis, he wants nothing to do with it, while I have a passion for tennis."

Jelena further shared that it was only after watching their son Stefan play tennis that he reconsidered. "On the third or fourth day of our holiday, he saw me and Stef playing on the court," she noted.

"Fortunately, he noticed how much fun we were having and asked, 'Can I have a racquet, please?'. He took a few balls, started serving, and remarked, 'It's not feeling bad, it's OK - I'm going to call Marian (Vajda) and ask him to come back as my coach'," she added.

Djokovic experienced a disappointing 2024 season, failing to secure any Grand Slam titles and dropping to No. 7 in the rankings, with the only silver lining in his campaign last year.

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