Former World No.1 Andre Agassi reckons Novak Djokovic will find it tougher to find inspiration without Rafael Nadal on the tour. Nadal retired from the game after playing in the Davis Cup and the American feels it will be tough for the Serbian to set new goals without his biggest rival.

Djokovic could not win a Slam in 2024 and went without a Major in a season for the first time in seven years. The Serbian won the Olympic Gold medal at the Paris Olympics to add the missing title to his glittering cabinet.

The Serb has joined hands with his former rival Andy Murray after separating from his former coach Goran Ivanisevic.

“It’s hard to say, Father Time always wins. He’s already done so much, so long, and it’s hard to imagine longer. I think he’ll run out of the energy for it more than the capability of it, I would imagine,” the former world No 1 Agassi said as quoted by Tennis Head.

“It cannot be easy, especially when the people you came to the dance with have left, that’s a big thing. When Pete [Sampras] retired, it was a blow to me. It set me back a little bit. It made me have to rediscover my inspirations on some level.

Agassi said he would never write off Novak Djokovic as he has achieved incredible things on tour.

“And he (Djokovic) has lost the guys that he’s made history with. So, it’s probably emotionally going to get tougher and tougher quickly, but I would never bet against him. Bet against him at your own peril.”

Djokovic will kick off his 2025 season in the Brisbane Open.