The world No. 4 has had an unusual 2024 season. The only title he has won is the event he has always craved - the Olympic gold medal. But he has also been left out disappointingly early in some tournaments.
Djokovic's most recent event was when he represented Serbia at the Davis Cup last month. He has previously suffered his worst result in seven years at Grand Slams, when he was eliminated in the third round of the US Open.
The 37-year-old has a relatively limited schedule in 2024, but is now set to return to the Shanghai Masters for the first time since 2019.
Asked to describe his love for tennis at this point in his career, Djokovic said: "My love for tennis will never fade. I have a lot of emotions when I play, and not only in tournaments but also in training sessions.
"Sometimes things don't always go as you want, but I think my relationship with tennis is much deeper than a tournament or a year or a success or a failure.
It was a sport that I fell in love with as a very young player, and I still have a love for the sport."
Although he still loves tennis, Djokovic seems to have considered retiring, but will continue to be associated with this sport after that.
He added: "Even when I retire, I feel like I will continue to play tennis, continue to be involved in different roles. Because I feel I owe this sport a lot for what it has given me."
It is worth noting that the Serbian tennis player has shortened his schedule. To date, the Shanghai Masters is the only tournament he has pledged to participate in for the rest of 2024.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has yet to commit to the final Masters 1000 event of the season in Paris. He is also not qualified for the ATP Finals, having failed to earn enough ranking points this year.
Last month, the Olympic champion admitted that these tournaments are not a priority for him. "Normally, I prepare my schedule six months in advance, but not now," he explained.
"It's more spontaneous now. First, I need to rest physically, emotionally and mentally to even start thinking about what I want to do next, in what way, how much and where."
If the Shanghai Masters is Djokovic's last appearance in 2024, he will be very focused on winning his 100th career title.
Nole will start the tournament with a match against Alex Michelson or Bu Yunchaokete.
