Djokovic does not retire at the top
"I'm still passionate and have the support of my family and team, so I feel completely comfortable," Djokovic replied at the press conference, when asked about his motivation to maintain victory after the US Open final on the evening of October 10. /9.
The Serbian tennis player said he is playing the best tennis and is still at the top of the ATP Tour so he will not leave. He said: "I'm playing the way I want, at a high level, winning the biggest titles. Of course I've thought about how much longer I'll play, but that's just the question in my head."
The world number one tennis player said that he maintains his motivation to compete thanks to always setting new goals. Djokovic entered this season with 21 Grand Slams but now has a record 24 – two more than Rafael Nadal. "I always set new goals," Nole continued. "It's not just the Grand Slam, but also a small daily and weekly goal. I don't have a desired Grand Slam number, but any opportunity to participate in the tournament I will try to get it."
Djokovic affirmed that he will continue to prioritize the Grand Slam next season because this is the biggest arena. He is willing to cut down his competition schedule to focus on four Grand Slams this year. "I don't know how many more seasons I can play. So I will enjoy each tournament with the utmost determination. Players come and go. One day I will also leave tennis after about 23, 24 years." ", he joked.
Regarding competition with young players, Djokovic appreciates juniors such as Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner, Stefanos Tsitsipas or Alexander Zverev. He thinks that tennis is still fine despite the lack of the two biggest stars of the past two decades, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
"The competition is in two different periods," Djokovic said. "Federer, Nadal and Murray are so strong, so steady that I will almost certainly play against them if I reach the final of any tournament they participate in. Most of those years were like that, a fight at the level The level is very high. Today it's different. I don't mind playing young players at the Grand Slam, as long as I have the strength to win against them. I've had three epic finals this season."
In four Grand Slam finals this year, Djokovic actually only had difficulty at Wimbledon - where he lost to Alcaraz in five sets. The remaining three matches all witnessed Nole's dominance with 3-0 victories, respectively, against Tsitsipas at the Australian Open, Casper Ruud at Roland Garros and Medvedev at the US Open.
