The world No. 4 has had an unusual 2024 season. His only title was the event he had always craved - Olympic gold. But he also suffered disappointing early exits from a number of tournaments.
Djokovic last played in an event for Serbia at the Davis Cup last month, after suffering his worst Grand Slam result in seven years, losing 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 at 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 your way, but I think my relationship with tennis is much deeper than one tournament or one year or success or failure.
It's a sport that I fell in love with when I was very young, and I still have a love for it."
Although he still loves tennis, Djokovic seems to have thought about retiring, but will continue to stick with the sport afterwards.
"Even when I retire, I feel like I'll continue to play tennis, continue to be involved in different roles. Because I feel like I owe this sport so much for what it has given me," he added.
It is worth noting that the Serbian has shortened his schedule. As of now, the Shanghai Masters is the only tournament he is committed to for the rest of 2024.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has yet to commit to the season's final Masters 1000 event in Paris. He also failed to qualify for the ATP Finals, having failed to earn enough ranking points this year.
Last month, the Olympic champion admitted that these tournaments were not his priority. "Normally, I prepare my schedule six months in advance, but not now," he explained.
“It's more spontaneous now. I need to rest physically, emotionally, and mentally first to even start thinking about what I want to do next, how, 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.
