The Serb is still hungry after winning his 23rd major title. Bring on Wimbledon, he says.
By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday June 12, 2023
No one that has listened to Novak Djokovic talk over the last five years should be surprised that the World No.1 is never satisfied. Blessed with regenerative powers, the newly anointed Grand Slam king’s desire to continue pushing the limits of his tennis, his body and his mind are unwavering and he reaffirmed this fact after winning his 23rd major singles title on Sunday evening in Paris.
‘I still feel motivated, I still feel inspired to play the best tennis on these tournaments the most, you know, Grand Slams. Those are the ones that count I guess the most in history of our sport.
For tennis’ generation next, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that their time in the spotlight and at the top of the men’s game is indefinitely delayed. The good new? They can continue to watch and learn as they watch one of the greatest forces in men’s tennis history prove that he can do the unthinkable at 36.
Naturally, during his post-match press conference, the conversation turned to the ongoing debate about the greatest men’s tennis player of all-time.
Djokovic isn’t interested in being part of that debate – the man who has now won a record 11 Grand Slam singles titles since turning 30 will leave that up to the pundits.
The Big 3 & the Grand Slam race 🏆
2010:⁰16 – Federer⁰9 – Nadal⁰1 – Djokovic
2020: ⁰20 – Federer⁰20 – Nadal⁰17 – Djokovic
2023: ⁰23 – Djokovic⁰22 – Nadal⁰20 – Federer
🥇 @DjokerNole #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/9Q1wJuMH2Q— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 11, 2023
“I don't want to say that I am the greatest, because I feel, I've said it before, it's disrespectful towards all the great champions in different eras of our sport that was played in completely different way than it is played today,” Djokovic said. “I feel like each great champion of his own generation has left a huge mark, a legacy, and paved the way for us to be able to play this sport in such a great stage worldwide.
“So I leave those kind of discussions of who is the greatest to someone else. I have of course huge faith and confidence and belief in myself and for everything that I am and who I am and what I am capable of doing. So this trophy obviously is another confirmation of the quality of tennis that I'm still able to produce.”
The fact that Djokovic stands alone atop the Grand Slam mens’ singles title list is massive in our sport, but the 23-time Slam champion feels he owes a debt to his greatest rivals, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, no matter where he ranks compared to them.
“The truth is that I have always compared myself to these guys, because those two are the two greatest rivals I ever had in my career,” he said. “I have said it before many times that they have actually defined me as a player, and all the success that I have, they have contributed to it, in a way, because of the rivalries and the matchups that we had.
Countless hours of thinking and analyzing and what it takes to win against them on the biggest stage, you know, for me and my team, it was just those two guys were occupying my mind for the last 15 years quite a lot.
It’s hard to make an argument that there is a male player – from this generation or previous – that is on Djokovic’s level. Even more impressive? He’s very much at the peak of his powers and in position to increased the Grand Slam title gap between himself and Nadal, who has 22, and Federer, who finished his career with 20, in the coming years.
Once again he’s in position to make a run at the calendar year Grand Slam as the tour heads to Wimbledon, where Djokovic is already a seven-time champion.
One day age will catch up with him. Until then, no record is safe.
“For me, on a daily basis, I'm the best on the court, because with this state of mind, it's the only state of mind or spirit that can lead to historical results and this trophy,” he said of the inevitable GOAT talk that his late milestone has sparked. “Afterwards, statistics are there, but we have a lot of different factors. It depends on the point of view of a person or the organizations that discuss these things.
“I don't want to enter in these discussions. I'm writing my own history."
Photo Source: Clive Brunskill/Getty
#Djokovic #Journey039s