By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday October 13, 2024
There are nonetheless loads of positives for Novak Djokovic to take even though he didn’t deliver residence his one hundredth profession ATP title on Sunday in Shanghai. The 24-time main champion, who fell to Jannik Sinner, 7-6(4), 6-3, says that the one hundredth title was by no means a giant focus for him when it comes to goal-setting.
“It is not live-or-die kind of aim for me, I feel I’ve achieved all of my greatest targets in my profession,” the 37-year-old advised the media after his loss on Sunday. “Proper now it is actually about slams and about nonetheless seeing how far I can type of push the bar for myself.”
Djokovic says he believes he can nonetheless match up with the highest abilities on the ATP Tour, Djokovic has gone a mixed 1-3 towards Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in 2024, notching a legacy-defining win over Alcaraz within the Olympic Gold medal match that made his season. He was defeated soundly by Alcaraz within the Wimbledon ultimate, and has misplaced each contests with Sinner, within the Australian Open semifinals and right this moment in Shanghai, whereas profitable only one set.
“So long as I carry out the best way I carried out truly this week, I feel I can go toe-to-toe with the large guys,” He stated, including: “So long as that is the case, I assume I am going to nonetheless really feel the necessity to carry on competing, and motivation to be on the market, and let’s examine how lengthy that is going to final for.”
The Serbian icon says he’s nonetheless fueled by his ardour for tennis and his aggressive hearth. He plans to proceed pushing for the largest titles in tennis in 2025. His tone today may very well be described extra as hopeful than assured, which is a stark distinction from the place he was in 2023, when he gained three of the 4 majors on provide.
However, the hope springs everlasting.
“My major motivation comes from love and keenness for the game, and in addition the will to maintain competing,” he stated. “These are sorts of matches and challenges that I nonetheless attempt for, to be able to play towards the most effective gamers on the earth, on the largest stage, within the finals of a number of the greatest tournaments on the earth.
“That is what I work for and why I nonetheless carry on pushing myself. That is all that may be stated about that. I do not know what the long run brings, I am going to simply attempt to type of waft to see how I really feel in a given second. I nonetheless plan to compete and play subsequent season and, yeah, let’s examine how far I’m going.”
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