CHAMPION! 🏆🇷🇸 Novak Djokovic claims the Paris Masters title for the 7th time, to win his 40th Masters 1000 title and his 97th Tour title. LEGEND.
"Today, he is 36 years old, he has 19, 20 years of career, he has almost 100 titles [97]": Pouille about Djokovic
ATPWednesday, 08 November 2023 at 00:53
Lucas Pouille predicted that Novak Djokovic's consistency and longevity in the sport will continue for several more years, as long as the tennis star's "desire" to play stays strong.
World No. 1 Djokovic has seemed almost invincible throughout the 2023 season. Although he lost the Wimbledon title to Carlos Alcaraz in July, he more than made up for it by winning all three other Grand Slams - the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open - and equaling Margaret Court's record of 24 major titles in the process.
Furthermore, the 36-year-old has defied his younger opponents to extend his record run at the top of the ATP Ranking to nearly 400 weeks. This was helped by his victory at the Paris Masters last week, where he defeated Grigor Dimitrov in the final 6-4, 6-3, to clinch his 40th ATP Masters 1000 title and pretty much confirm his place as year-end No. 1.
Pouille: Djokovic's longevity depends on his "desire" to continue
As a result of this consistent success, French tennis player and former World No. 10 Pouille predicted that Djokovic could continue for several more years despite his age.
"Today, he is 36 years old, he has 19, 20 years of career, he has almost 100 titles [97] and he is still just as hungry and what is extraordinary is that he still seems the freshest on the court. I think he can play for two, three or even four more years," the 29-year-old told Eurosport.
Pouille went on to add that the one condition which may prevent Djokovic from playing is whether or not he still has "the desire to continue", putting up with "sacrifices" such as the demands of training and being away from his family for long periods of time.
"The question is rather whether the desire will still be there. The desire to continue to make all these efforts, these sacrifices to be at the highest level. But for me, he still has the energy to play for a very long time," he continued.
After the US Open, Djokovic took some time away from the ATP Tour to spend time with his family before returning to competition in Paris. The tennis star previously opened up on the benefits of this limited schedule.
"Because I have been modeling my schedule this year to my likings where I want to play, and I haven't played many tournaments at all, I've gotten to spend more time with my family. That was a beautiful thing. Because the rewards that you get in the relationship are something that is bigger than anything," he said.
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