Novak
Djokovic hopes to continue expanding his record at
Wimbledon and dismissed the
possibility of retirement anytime soon.
The 23-time
Grand Slam champion is about to return to the courts of the All England Club,
where he has won 7 of his Slam titles, including the last four editions.
Djokovic arrives at Wimbledon as the male player with the most major titles in
history and he aims to increase his record.
If he becomes the champion, the Serbian will
head to the US Open with the opportunity to achieve the Calendar Slam, which
means winning all four major trophies in the same year.
Just days
before the start of the main draw, former world No. 1 Mats Wilander stated that
he couldn't choose a 'GOAT' (Greatest Of All Time) when comparing Djokovic to
Rafael Nadal Nadal and
Roger Federer, but he acknowledged that Djokovic has the most significant
accomplishments. The Serbian responded to this comment during a press
conference:
“Thank you,
I appreciate that,” Djokovic said. “There’s not much to say other than that.”
“I leave
the debate and discussions to other people. I think it’s good that there is a
debate because it just attracts more attention to our sport.
“At the end
of the day, we are all trying to be the best possible ambassadors [for] tennis,
attracting as many people to watch our games, whether it’s live or on the TV.
The more people talk about the rivalries, the more people talk of the history,
the better it is.”
With Nadal
and Federer nearing retirement, Djokovic acknowledged that he hopes to continue
prolonging his career as he still feels in great form.
“Of course
I’m aware of the fact that I’m in a very privileged point in time of tennis and
of my career, and I’ll try to go further, as far as I possibly can,”
“I still
feel good in my body, I still feel plenty of motivation. I’m hitting the ball
well on the court,” Djokovic added.
“I’ve said
it many times: the Grand Slams are the tournaments that probably are the
tournaments I play tennis for the most at the moment, and I’ll try to peak for
them and play my best tennis when it matters most.”