Boris Becker makes candid revelations after he witnessed Novak Djokovic's Olympic agony

07/22/2024 12:06 PM

Novak Djokovic has made no secret of his desire to win an Olympic gold medal in Paris this summer and now his former coach Boris Becker has revealed the agony he went through after one of his previous aborted attempts to claim glory for Serbia in the biggest sporting event of them all.

Djokovic is heading to Paris aiming to win the one big prize that has eluded him in his decorated career, with his eagerness to complete his collection highlighted by the comments by some revealing comments from Becker, who won a gold medal for Germany in the men’s doubles at the 1992 Olympic Games.

Becker was lead coach for Djokovic when he travelled to Rio for the 2016 Olympics, with his dreams of a gold medal ending in the first round as he lost against Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro.

Now Becker has revealed how Djokovic reacted to that defeat, as he spoke at a discovery+ and Eurosport event as he prepares to join their commentary team for the Paris Olympics.

“I don’t know if you understand the importance of Novak Djokovic in Serbia,” began Becker.

“He could be President. He could be anything. He is a proper icon in Serbia and so naturally for him, he wants to represent Serbia on a world stage. There is no better place to do that than at the Olympics.

“I was fortunate to be the head coach of the Serbian team at 2016 in Rio. I worked with all the Serbian players, I stayed in the village with the Serbian s and by then, he was already a superstar.

“You can’t imagine the expectation and the power he has when he plays for Serbia. That event in 2016 allowed me to understand it.

“Then he lost to Del Potro in the first round and you just couldn’t speak to him for the first couple of days as he was heartbroken.

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“It was one of the biggest disappointments in his career, but there you go. He has so many great victories in his career, but you could see the disappointment.

“He showed how proud he is to be Serbian. He loves his country more than anything else in the world. That is why this Olympics will be so important for him.

Djokovic has piled the pressure on himself by confirming his big target for 2024 will be Olympic gold, with Becker suggesting that ambition should ensure we see a fired-up player in Paris.

“Novak was very transparent and open at the beginning of the year that his most important tournament was going to be at the Olympics in Paris,” he added.

“It doesn’t mean that he didn’t take the Grand Slan at the French Open or Wimbledon seriously, but he has never won Olympic gold and if you have won everything else that is to win, it’s normal that you want to win the one that is not in your cabinet.

“With this in mind, I expect to see a very, very motivated Novak Djokovic at this Olympics. Playing for Serbia will give him the extra 10 per-cent he needs against these great young players that are coming up now.”

Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray have Olympic gold medals in their collection and it is clear that Djokovic is hungry to complete his legacy as the greatest player of all-time by following in the footsteps of the two greats of his era and climbing onto the top step of the podium at an Olympic medal ceremony.

Boris Becke spoke to Tennis365 at discovery+ and Eurosport event ahead of their comprehensive coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

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