What a pity! The tennis prodigy who trained with Djokovic has decided to quit pursuing a professional tennis career.

After competing in the Australian Open juniors and training alongside Novak Djokovic, the 2024 Australian Open left Gerod Joyce with unforgettable memories. However, following a challenging 2025 season, the 19-year-old felt the passion he once had for tennis gradually fading, ultimately forcing him to make a difficult decision about his future.

Just a few days ago, The First Serve AU posted a photo of Djokovic and Joyce on X, captioned: “Australian teenager Gerod Joyce shared his brave decision to step away from tennis, an honest self-reflection that helped him see reality clearly.”

According to reports, Joyce said about his decision: “This might be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.” He further shared his experience and reasons for leaving: “Truly opening up and admitting that I no longer enjoy the current tennis path... Tennis has been my biggest passion for the past six or seven years, and I’ve taken it very seriously.”

He continued: “The overseas training environment, even the joy I used to feel on the court, has vanished over the past six months. That’s really hard to admit... I just feel this is no longer something I genuinely want to pursue professionally.”

As fans, we often focus on the world’s top players but tend to overlook the young athletes who work hard every day trying to establish themselves in professional tennis. For Joyce, a turning point suddenly arrived.

He said: “I was supposed to go to college; the University of Memphis had recruited me... I was scheduled to go this August, but it fell through for various reasons.” He added: “So I had to ask myself, ‘What will my life look like in the next few years?’ Because the pro tennis path is incredibly tough.”

“Do I really want to spend several years struggling on the ITF circuit? For some players, breaking into the top 1000 and earning their first ATP points is a crucial goal that fuels their passion. But for me, my mindset is different. I want to play tennis because I want to be the best player.”

Since stepping away, Joyce has found new enthusiasm in Australian Rules football, saying he is “much happier in a team environment” and now has the opportunity to play for Collingwood’s VFL team.

Joyce admits that getting involved in Aussie football has been refreshing, calling it “the best six weeks of the year so far.” Still, it wouldn’t be fair to say he no longer loves tennis — it has shaped who he is today.

To understand this, imagine this scene: you are a 17-year-old from Ballarat who just completed an excellent 2023 season. You’re waiting for the Australian Open junior doubles draw, hoping for your chance. You were even scheduled to train with world No. 11 Ruud, but the session was canceled at the last minute — that was Joyce’s experience then.

But the disappointment didn’t last long. Shortly after the cancellation, Joyce was notified to train with another player — none other than world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

At the time, Djokovic was preparing for his fourth-round match against Mannarino, and since both Mannarino and Joyce are left-handed, Joyce became the ideal practice partner. So, on Court 16 at the Australian Open, in front of hundreds of spectators, he rallied with the world’s best player for a full hour.

Joyce later explained he tried to stay calm, focus on every shot, and fully enjoy the moment. He said the most impressive thing was Djokovic’s “focus and determination,” adding that the Serbian is extremely professional and precise: “He demands very high accuracy on his returns, which is why he can be world No. 1.”

Now 19, Joyce is still exploring what truly excites him. Tennis gave him unforgettable memories, but he is also discovering new passions and figuring out the path he wants to take in the future.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Spark)