Novak
Djokovic has stated that he has no plans to slow down despite skipping several
tournaments so far this year. The 24-time Grand Slam champion holds a record of
11-4 this year and is yet to claim a title, although he dismissed any notion of
retirement being imminent.
After an
extraordinary 2023 season where he secured three Grand Slam titles, 2024 hasn't
been the best for 'Nole', who suffered defeats in the semifinals of the
Australian Open and
Monte-Carlo Masters, along with the notable early exit in
the third round of
Indian Wells against
Luca Nardi, who was outside the top 100
at the time.
Changes in
Djokovic's schedule
The
36-year-old tennis star has already withdrawn from two Masters 1000 tournaments
this year, despite initially confirming his participation in both. First, he
missed the
Miami Open (following the surprising defeat at Indian Wells), and
after being eliminated in Monte-Carlo, he decided to withdraw from the Madrid
Open.
In a
conversation with CNN, Djokovic mentioned that he has no plans to ease his
pace: "I feel like it’s so important to always remind yourself to be in
the present moment, really to appreciate, to acknowledge, to remember where you
came from, the journey, the path, also the people that surround you," he
said.
“Every
single week there’s something new happening and new events. So I think I will
truly be able to appreciate everything that we have accomplished really, only
post-career, to be honest,” the world No. 1 said. “Because while you’re still
active … it’s what’s the next task? What’s the next challenge? You have only
maybe a few days or a week max where you’re contemplating on a great success.”
Nole has an 11-4 record for the season
“You take
nothing but the win, that’s the mentality. You kind of visualise yourself
achieving that already. So I’ve been, you know, really looking forward to it.
Of course I’m not the only one that wants to grab that title but I look forward
to it. I like competing with different generations.”
“You have
the young guys who are coming up … they’re all incredibly hungry and fit and
fast. But I use my adaptability to adjust my tactics and my game to them and
understand really what it takes, you know, what it takes to stay at the top and
compete with these guys and try to win more titles.”