Djokovic’s motivation in question post-Olympics, Says Ljubicic: “We’re not far from the generational change”

Ivan Ljubicic believes Novak Djokovic will be highly motivated for the Olympic Games in pursuit of the gold medal, but raised doubts about what will happen afterward, noting that without Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, “it’s not the same motivation.”

The former coach of Federer also commented that the definitive generational shift is nearing, with Carlos Alcaraz leading the charge. Ljubicic further mentioned that Djokovic’s issues this season are more psychological than technical.

Novak Djokovic faced a new disappointment at the recent Wimbledon, at least by the Serbian’s standards. Despite a strong campaign in the tournament, where he outperformed his rivals, he suffered a resounding defeat to Carlos Alcaraz, 2-6, 2-6, 6-7(4).

At this stage of the season, Djokovic remains without titles, something that has only happened in his debut season in 2005. The 37-year-old player still has goals ahead this season, with the Olympic Games as the next challenge, where he will seek the coveted gold medal.

“For the Olympic Games, he will definitely have the motivation, but what will happen after? Without Federer, without Nadal, the circuit is a little different for him, it’s not the same motivation,” Ljubicic told L’Equipe. “Boris Becker told me that it seemed to him that Novak had practically accepted Alcaraz’s superiority, which he had never done with Rafa and Roger. We are not far from the generational change. That’s life.”

In March this year, Ljubicic had already commented on the issues he saw with Djokovic at that point in the season: “His problem is psychological, he certainly hasn’t forgotten how to play tennis. Undoubtedly, ‘Nole’ must have fire inside, otherwise he is missing something,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport. “He is used to fighting on every point, to conquering the pitch inch by inch, and if he doesn’t feel those stimuli, he can get into difficulty.”