Novak Djokovic admitted he completed tennis with his gold medal victory at the Paris Olympics – but it clearly hasn’t dampened his motivation to keep winning tournaments.
Tennis legend Novak Djokovic has set his sights on defending his Olympic title at the Los Angeles Games.
The Serbian player won his first gold medal in Paris after competing for the fifth time and now hopes to make history by participating in his sixth singles Olympic tournament.
Djokovic has achieved the Golden Slam, putting him in the company of other top players like Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Andre Agassi, and Steffi Graf.
The 37-year-old athlete is still highly motivated to achieve more victories in the sport, even though he no longer has any major titles to win. His recent comments during Serbia’s celebration of Olympic medallists in Belgrade on Monday night indicate that he has no intention of retiring at this time.
“I’ll try to make it to Los Angeles,” he declared, via the Express. “I’d like to. The greatest pleasure is representing Serbia at the Olympic Games.
“For me, this is the realisation of a boyhood dream, the pressure to win the gold was huge because I won more or less everything. I feel fulfilled, complete, let’s celebrate.”
Djokovic’s illustrious career has been notably free of serious injuries, unlike his contemporaries Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray, all of whom have struggled in their late 30s. However, a meniscus tear at the French Open might be a sign of what’s to come.
“It is entirely possible that he could continue playing until he reaches the age of 41. If he does, he would probably surpass Margaret Court in the list of most Grand Slam wins, currently tied at 24.”
“He will have the opportunity to do so at the upcoming US Open tournament.
Nevertheless, he will be entering the last major event of the year without having competed on hard courts beforehand.”
Djokovic withdrew from the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open, citing the fast transition from the Games as the reason.
Carlos Alcaraz, who Djokovic beat for the gold medal in Paris, will be participating in Cincinnati aiming to redeem his loss in last year’s final against Djokovic.