Paris Masters tournament director Cedric Pioline has dropped a hint about when Novak Djokovic may say goodbye to the ATP event.

When Djokovic won three Grand Slams in 2023 at the age of 35 and 36, few would have predicted that he would not add to his haul of 24 majors.

As the Serbian inches closer to 40, question marks over his retirement date continue to percolate. He himself has set his sights on the 2028 Olympics, when he will be 41.

Now, former world No 5 Pioline has speculated that this may be Djokovic’s last, or penultimate, appearance at this Masters 1000 tournament, while stressing fans need to enjoy him while he still plays.

He said in his pre-tournament press conference, “I think the message is: let’s make the most of it. Let’s make the most of Novak, because if it’s not his last appearance here, it’s maybe his second-to-last. Our record holder, seven wins at the Rolex Paris Masters, and, no need to say it, 24 Grand Slam wins.”

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One thing that may help Djokovic – who has won this event a record seven times – is the speed of the courts in Paris this week. Last year, the speed index for the competition fell from 45 in 2024 to 35. However, Pioline has revealed that the courts are playing faster this year.

The Frenchman said, “The surface is faster this year than last year, and quite noticeably so. There can sometimes be a slightly subjective element to how it feels, but there is also feedback, in connection with the ATP, through the players.

“Without going into details, we were a bit surprised by how slow it was last year, so we asked for it to be sped up, and the players seem happy. Finding the right balance is very tricky.

“We tried to get close to the conditions in Turin for the players who will be involved there. We should be around 40; at least that’s what we asked for.”

According to Tennis Abstract, Montpellier has the fastest courts on the ATP Tour, followed by Dallas, Chengdu, and Turin.

Beijing, where Djokovic won his 102nd title and has a perfect 34-0 record there, is slightly above average when it comes to court speed, as is the Australian Open – a tournament he has won an historic 10 times.

Basel is one of the faster courts on tour, but that didn’t help Djokovic a great deal as he was beaten by the big-hitting Jan-Lennard Struff last week.

In theory, a quicker court should help Djokovic, who is trying to qualify for the ATP Finals, in terms of keeping rallies short and getting more free points on his serve. Whether this helps him in Paris remains to be seen.

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