A hungry Djokovic wants to emulate Tom Brady and play tennis at 40
The world No. 1 admitted he wants to keep winning more titles and talked about the possibility of playing till 40 or even beyond.
Retirement isn’t a word that is on Novak Djokovic’s mind. The Serb wants to keep making history and playing for as long as he can.
That’s what Nole said after his exhibition match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, against Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated him in three sets.
The 36-year-old maestro has had a great 2023, winning three out of four Grand Slam events and losing the Wimbledon final to Alcaraz in a five-setter war.
Djokovic is aware that at some point, the new generation, led by the Murcia native, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune, will take over, but for the time being, he’s doing everything he can to keep his body fit and be ready to compete for all the trophies.
Djokovic, hungry for more greatness
The 24-time major champion is excited for the new season, as he has quite a few challenges ahead. Winning the Grand Slam (all four majors in the same season), overtaking Jimmy Connors for the players with the most ATP titles ever, and capturing the gold medal at the Olympic Games in the men’s singles category are his main goals.
“I’m still trying to push as long as I can, win Grand Slams, be a contender for the top spot in the world, and try to make more history in the sport”, he said.
“That’s the drive, that’s the motivation. And I’m still feeling very good in my own body at this age, playing one of the best seasons that I had in my career in 2023. I’m going to keep going and see where it gets me”.
Djokovic knows he will be the favorite in the Australian Open, as he loves playing there given the court conditions, which suit his game perfectly.
“The Australian Open has been my most successful Grand Slam event. Each time you win, you feel your confidence is growing. So every next year I come back, I relive the memories from previous years”.
“I love playing in the Australian Open and the Rod Laver Arena. It’s my favorite court and hopefully, I can do as well as I did last year and throughout my career. I had lots of success and hopefully I can keep that going”, he stated.
Djokovic also talked about the NFL legend Tom Brady, saying he’s an inspiration to him and talking about how he has managed to have a long and successful career.
“Tom Brady is a great example of a champion in his sport and someone that has had such a great career and longevity”.
“He has put a lot of hours and a lot of time into self-care, into recovery, into making sure that in a way every aspect of his body and mind is covered so that he can have a long-lasting, successful career. I know him personally and I learned a lot from him, from his example, and hopefully I can have a career that goes up to 40 or maybe even beyond, let’s see”, he concluded.
Djokovic hopes to get his final preparations done before the new season and get to Melbourne in great shape to try to win his 11th Australian Open trophy.