Novak Djokovic reveals key reasons for tennis player burnout ahead of Wimbledon quarter-final – ‘You lose yourself’

There have been other complaints about the demands of the tennis season, which runs from January through to November, giving little time for rest.

There are also rules over how many tournaments top players are expected to play, and punishments – potentially in the form of ranking points – if they do not comply.

Djokovic himself has trimmed down his schedule in recent years with the primary focus on the four Grand Slams.

At Wimbledon he was asked why players might be suffering from burnout.

“The first thing that comes to mind is that social media is extremely present and largely dictates the mood and daily rhythm of an athlete – especially young ones, but older ones too,” he told Sportklub’s Sasa Ozmo.

“Everyone is on social media, and you can get lost there, get too attached to comments, to what someone types on a keyboard or phone… and that hurts. It’s not trivial. That’s something we need to talk about seriously.

“There are various other factors. The fact is, in my opinion, that kids are pushed too early into strict professionalism, before they’ve developed emotional intelligence, which is part of psychological preparation for life.

“When a talent is spotted, they push them professionally – just play, play, play – and then all sorts of agents latch on, those with interest in success, and they push the player to play as much as possible so they earn more.

“It’s a vicious circle, and if a player gets a bit lost in that, it can strongly affect their psyche and how they live their life.”

Djokovic also spoke about the length of the tennis season being an issue.

The 2025 ATP Tour season is set to finish on November 23 following the Davis Cup. The 2026 season then starts just six weeks later on January 2.

“Tennis has the longest season of all global sports,” added Djokovic.

“For most who play the full schedule, it’s from January 1 to late November. Other sports have more competitions now too, but tennis is individual – there are no substitutes, no ‘I don’t feel good today, can you sub in for me for five minutes so I can rest’.

“Here, every point matters, every day matters. If you want to reach the highest heights, you have to transform your entire life in service of tennis and sport. You lose yourself, it’s too big of a bite for most.”