Novak Djokovic opened up about his thoughts on questions raised over his form in tennis in a recent interview. The Serb recently competed in the semi-final match of the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh and ended up with a loss against Jannik Sinner; this was his second loss in four days against the Italian player.
Two days after his game at his loss in Riyadh, the Serb sat in an interview with the LA NACION, where he shared an update about his retirement. He revealed that despite facing difficulties in finding motivation, he still felt that he had the ‘drive’ to compete and was not thinking of retirement.
“I still feel that I enjoy the process and it generates all these benefits for me, so why not do it? Some people think I should retire from tennis at the top: “You won gold, you won everything, say goodbye.” Some people think I should keep going as long as I still think I can be the favorite for a Grand Slam. I think more like them.”
The Serb further added:
“Maybe I will change my mind, I don’t know. For now I feel like I want to keep going. How much longer? Traveling and finding motivation is becoming more difficult for me. It’s not easy. And even less so with children. I don’t want to be away from home for so long, but I still have the drive. So I feel sorry for those who want me to retire, because they will have to see me for a while longer.”
Djokovic started playing tennis at the age of 4, and today he has 99 singles titles, of which 24 are Grand Slams and 72 are Big titles. He also won the Olympic gold medal after a wait of 16 years at the Paris Olympics. He defeated Carlos Alcaraz with a score of 7-6, 7-6 to clinch the gold medal in the French capital.
Novak Djokovic revealed how he keeps himself motivated
In the aforementioned interview, Novak Djokovic revealed two sources of his motivation. The first source was that he still has the energy to win more Grand Slams and considers himself one of the favorites for the same. He also stated that his passion for the sport and his interest in achieving new things through the sport keep him motivated.
“Deep inside I feel that I still have more Grand Slams to win. What still pushes me to compete, especially in the Grand Slams, is the feeling that I can be a candidate to win it. And also for my country. I love playing the Davis Cup for Serbia. When I have to motivate myself, there are two things: one is to continue believing that I have the ability to continue fighting for the majors and win them,” said Novak Djokovic.
He continued:
“And second: tennis is still my biggest platform to do other things that interest me and share the messages that interest me, whether they are related to tennis, society, some venture that I have, something that seriously builds my legacy, my brand.”
Just two days ahead of his match at the Six Kings Slam, Novak Djokovic faced one more defeat against Sinner at the Shanghai Masters. Here, the 37-year-old reached the finals after winning five rounds, however, fell short of grabbing the title as Sinner nabbed the win with a score of 7(7) – 6(4), 6-3.
