Novak Djokovic has an advantage over all his opponents

10/03/2024 07:30 AM

Novak Djokovic has been in China for a few days now and is practicing intensively to get ready for the eighth Masters 1000 of the season (Shanghai). The former world number 1 has not won an ATP title this year and would not qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin at the moment, but Alex de Minaur’s physical problems allow him to have his fate firmly in hand if he gets a good result in China.

Serbian legend has won this tournament four times, but it is his first participation since 2019. The current world number 4 won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics during the summer, a result that allows him to be very satisfied despite not winning the 25th Major of his incredible career.

The 37-year-old from Belgrade will try to do this next year, perhaps already at the 2025 Australian Open. Nole has no intention of retiring and wants to stay on the ATP tour for many more years, but it will all depend on the results he gets in the future and the motivation that remains.

After the Shanghai tournament, Novak will be present at the 'Six Kings Slam' in Saudi Arabia before deciding how and if to continue his 2024. The Serbian ace did not rule out closing his year early to recharge his energy. The 24-time Grand Slam champion will debut in Shanghai on Saturday and hopes to claim his fifth title in China, the first since 2018.

The Serbian legend revealed his big goal for this Chinese trip in a press conference on the eve of his debut at the ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai. Djokovic explained that he loves playing in China and that his goal is certainly ambitious, namely to win the 100th title in his long career.

"China - said Djokovic - was for me a place of success and happiness. I have been very successful in both Beijing and Shanghai in my career. It’s been five years since I was here. I love playing in this country, I love the conditions, I love the support I get and this year I also have the extra motivation to try to win my 100th title".

"That - added the Serbian top-class player - is all I can say for now. I try to improve every day during my training. I am playing many sets and matches trying to reach the desired level, because I have not played many tournaments lately and so I have something to catch up on others. Once again, I hope to be able to use this freshness, as well as the past experiences and successes that I have had in this field, to succeed again this year in the tournament".

And he reiterated his love for tennis: "I will never stop loving this sport. I still feel a lot of emotions on the court, not only in competition but also in training. No matter how things sometimes don’t work out, my relationship with tennis is deep, I fell in love with this sport when I was a child and still do. Even when I retire I will continue to practice tennis because I feel I owe a lot to this sport".

The former world number 1 has used his role and influence to talk about several topics before the eighth Masters 1000 of the season. Novak also reflected on the doping case of Jannik Sinner, which reopened after WADA’s decision to appeal against the acquittal. “I think it’s quite obvious that we have a system that is not working well,” Djokovic stated. “So, I guess that’s probably something that even the people who are not following our sport are realising. There are way too many inconsistencies, way too many governing bodies involved and this whole case is not helping our sport at all. I think he has won the three appeals so far, and it must be very tough for him and his team and family.”

He also added: ”It’s impressive what he has been doing, in the whole process of what’s been happening, that he’s playing at such a high level, winning Grand Slam and, you know, winning most of the matches that he plays. Hopefully, we can go back to tennis. This situation or these circumstances are not positive for our sport, so hopefully we can resolve this case as soon as possible. Whatever’s going to happen, at the end of the day, I just wish for it to be resolved as soon as possible. Yeah, that’s all I have to say about that.”