Djokovic: “I’ve done enough, I could stop today”

Djokovic, in Belgrade, seeks to rediscover himself. He needs it. At home, like nowhere. The Serbian tennis player is already in the semifinals of the ATP 250, where today (not before 2:00 p.m.) he faces the Russian Karen Khachanov, 26th in the world. His first opportunity, this season, to enter the fight for a title, strange as it sounds. In Dubai, he could not get past the quarterfinals and in Monte Carlo, at the hands of finalist Alejandro Davidovich, he fell in his debut match. His goal, as he has already warned, is to arrive at Roland Garros in the best possible shape. “It is the biggest goal on this surface (clay) and, in part, I have my thoughts in Paris, to arrive well prepared,” declared the Serbian Open in the preview. Before, stop in Madrid and Rome.

It is the stretch of greatest continuity for the number one in the world, that he must combine his presence in tournaments with his convictions, his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID. A convulsive stretch within a legendary race that, as he himself assured during the national competition, still has many pages of history ahead of him. “I am the one who chooses to play. Nobody forces me. I’ve done enough in my career, I could stop today, but I still feel motivated and inspired. I love playing against the best. Serbia is a unique opportunity for me and these kinds of occasions feed me with good energy. I love being here and I love competing,” she says in statements collected by the ATP itself.

Nole will be 35 years old in a month (May 22). He is already a veteran of the guild. After Rafa Nadal (he will turn 36 in June), he is the oldest player in the Top 20. Two eternal legends within a circuit that widens its record of ages. In data from the journalist Adam Addicott, specialized in tennis, in 2012, no player in the Top 100 of the ranking was 35 years old or older. Djokovic is clear: “For me, age is just a number. Honestly, I feel younger than my age reflects,” he says. And he develops: “Each stage of your career, especially after playing for 20 years on the Tour, has its differences in terms of how you approach things mentally. My life has changed a lot in the last 10 years, and so has my body. So you have to adapt to that, understand these changes, understand what I’m going through and discover the biology of things. I constantly strategize, organize and plan with my team which helps me peak at the right time and be able to compete with the youngsters.”

Roland Garros goal

As long as there are no more setbacks, Djokovic and Nadal, who is already training after his cracked ribs, They will meet again in a tournament at the Mutua Madrid Open (from April 26 to May 8). They have not been measured since 2021, in the semifinals of Roland Garros. Both, throughout their careers, have had to deal with expectations. “People get used to seeing you at a high level for ten, fifteen years. They always expect you to win 99% of matches. Obviously that’s not possible. You have to accept the fact that you’re going to lose matches, that at times you are not going to feel good, that you still need more time to get into a rhythm”, analyzes Novak. The Serbian wants to return to respond to everything generated and is in full search of that “rhythm”. The major French, which will have an even more special touch than usual, wait.