Novak Djokovic could pull out of three tournaments after Six Kings Slam retirement

Novak Djokovic raised fresh concerns when he was forced to retire from the Six Kings Slam mid-match. The world No. 5 received a bye directly into the semi-final of the exhibition event, losing to Jannik Sinner. He then faced Taylor Fritz in a third-place playoff but threw in the towel after losing a 75-minute first set.

Djokovic told the crowd that he wanted to get his body right before competing in his last few tournaments of the season. But he has little time to recover, and could now be forced to skip some, if not all of his remaining events if his body doesn't compete.

The Serbian superstar is signed up for next week's Paris Masters, but his participation there already looks slim. Djokovic also skipped the tournament last year when he ended his season early, and it will likely come too soon for him to address his physical issues.

Before the Six Kings Slam, Djokovic said he had only committed to one other tournament for the rest of the season - the ATP 250 in Athens, kicking off on November 2.

The event is typically played in Djokovic's home of Belgrade, Serbia, and is run by his family, but it has been relocated to Greece this year.

The 38-year-old has also reportedly moved to Athens with his wife and their two children. However, Djokovic now has less than two weeks to be ready to play, and could be forced to withdraw if he doesn't recover in time.

Djokovic has also hinted that he could play multiple events before 2025 is over, meaning Athens may not be the only competition on his mind.

Speaking after retiring in Riyadh, Djokovic told the crowd: "Now it's time to rest and really address some of the issues I have with my body. Then, hopefully, I can play the last couple of tournaments of the season. Let's see."

The ATP 250 event is typically played in Djokovic's home of Belgrade, Serbia, and is run by his family, but it has been relocated to Greece this year. The 38-year-old has also reportedly moved to Athens with his wife and their two children.

Djokovic recently qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin. He missed the season-ending event in 2024, but it looks likely that the season-ending championships could now be in his plans.

The ATP Finals gets underway on November 9, giving him more time to recover. If Djokovic does compete in Athens, he could head straight to Turin and keep on rolling. But he'd also have to think about his body, and whether he could play back-to-back weeks so soon after retiring in Riyadh.

Djokovic had already sparked injury fears at the recent Shanghai Masters. He struggled in the brutally hot conditions, throwing up on the court in two matches, and called the physios multiple times throughout the fortnight.

The world No. 5 ultimately lost to Valentin Vacherot, who was then ranked outside of the top 200, in the semi-finals, where he appeared to be carrying a hip injury. And his decision to head straight to the Six Kings Slam didn't help.

Everything depends on his body, and as Djokovic has admitted several times this year, at the age 38, things aren't getting any easier. While he's still hopeful that he can end 2025 with a couple more appearances, all three tournaments could now be in jeopardy.