Novak Djokovic has candidly discussed dealing with criticism as he addressed whether being told to retire makes him “angry.”

The 39-year-old tennis legend will star at this week’s Swiss Indoors, where he will face world No 38 Ugo Humbert in his opening match.

Djokovic is ranked 12th in the world, having amassed a 19-8 record from the nine tournaments he has played prior to the ATP 500 event in Basel.

The Serbian claimed his first title of the year — and the 102nd of his career — at the China Open in Beijing earlier this month.

The former world No 1 was a runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at the 2026 Australian Open after he stunned Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals. He reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in July and lost to eventual champion Sinner.

Djokovic won his most recent Grand Slam title — a record-extending 24th major — at the 2023 US Open.

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Speaking to Serbian website Sportal, Djokovic was asked if it makes him angry that people tell him he should retire.

“Oh well, everything is there. As long as there are people, there will be speculation,” said the 10-time Australian Open winner.

“It’s in people’s nature, and it’s not only here, but everywhere. People like to criticise, to judge, with insufficient information, but that’s not something I’m used to. I don’t pay attention.

“I’m not angry about that, I’m angry about some other things. Some much bigger things make me angry.”

A documentary about Djokovic’s life and career titled Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter released on Amazon Prime Video on 20 August.

In July, Djokovic explored the topic of his retirement and referenced a comment Andre Agassi made in his documentary.

Speaking during the Fanatics Fest in New York, Djokovic said: “Honestly, it’s amazing for me to hear the all-time greats, and how they were approaching this process of, kind of, letting go.

“I’m still feeling I can compete at the highest level, and the results are there. I can still stay a little bit active here and there (smiles), but yeah, the moment is approaching. There’s no question it’s closer than ever.

“Andre Agassi is one of the all-time greats, of course. He was part of my documentary, and he said: ‘I don’t know when the end is coming for Novak, but I’m sure as hell that, when it comes, it comes fast.’

“I think he’s right. Of course, I would lie if [I said] I don’t have those thoughts. I do have them. And I don’t know if there’s a perfect way [to retire].

“There’s a category of athletes that want to leave on top, there’s a category of athletes that want to leave because their body is not listening to them, and there’s a category of athletes that just get beaten by others and they see they can’t go on. Or, it’s all of it.

“So I’m still just trying to enjoy myself competing. I’m there, and we’ll have this conversation later.”

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