The 38-year-old Serbian on the eve of the tournament he has won 10 times: “I’m fourth in the world and achievements motivate me. Sinner and Alcaraz are on another level, but that doesn’t mean the others don’t have a chance.”
Novak Djokovic has won 10 of his 24 precious Slam titles on these courts. Here, Nole, who will make his debut on Monday in the evening match at Rod Laver Arena against Spain’s Martinez, wants to fight against the inexorable passage of time and his young rivals to reach 25 and become the player with the most Slam titles in men’s and women’s history. With a few neck problems and convincing training sessions, Djoker is up to his old tricks, mixing things up so as not to give his opponents any reference points: “I ended the season in the first week of November, so it’s been a while since I last played in an official competition. I took a little break and devoted more time to rebuilding my body, because I understand that in recent years this is what has changed the most for me: it takes longer to recover. Unfortunately, I had a small problem that prevented me from playing in the Adelaide tournament. That’s why I didn’t go there, but so far everything is going very well here.”
The race to reach the fateful 25 does not put pressure on him. At 38, turning 39 in May, he feels he still has time. Last season, he reached the semifinals in all four Slams, so why be pessimistic? “In general, I try to focus on what I’ve already achieved, not on what I could achieve. I hope to beat this record, but 24 is not a bad number. I have to appreciate it and remind myself of the incredible career I’ve had. And I also have to get rid of some of that unnecessary pressure. I’m grateful to have another opportunity, especially here, in a place where I’ve won 10 Slam titles and where I’ve consistently played well, I had a great win against Carlos in the quarterfinals last year. When I’m healthy and I can put all the pieces of the puzzle together on the right day, I feel like I can beat anyone.” In short, there’s no question of putting his racket in the basement: “If I didn’t have this confidence and self-belief, I wouldn’t be here competing. I’m still motivated, and I also understand that Sinner and Alcaraz are playing at a different level than everyone else right now. That’s a fact, but it doesn’t mean the others don’t have a chance. I’ve broken pretty much every record there is to break in this sport, and I’m still living my dream.“
GOALS— He thrives on adrenaline and goals: ”Goals are my guiding star, but they’re not my only motivation. There’s also my passion and love for the game. There’s the interaction with people, the energy you feel when you step onto the court. That adrenaline rush is almost like a drug, honestly. Many of the best athletes in different sports can understand that. I’ve heard them talk about it: it’s like that… it’s addictive, the feeling of competing. I’ve been asked many times when the end will come, but I don’t want to talk about it or think about it yet. I’m here, I’m competing. When that moment comes and it sinks in, I’ll share it with you and then we can talk about a possible farewell tour. For now, I’m still number 4 in the world and I don’t see the need to draw attention to this topic.” It couldn’t be clearer…
