NEW YORK – As big a deal as finally winning an Olympic gold medal was to Novak Djokovic, as much as he has accomplished in tennis — the men's-record 24 Grand Slam trophies, the 99 total titles, the most weeks at No. 1 for any player and on and on — do not for a moment think he is satisfied as the U.S. Open begins.
“People would ask me: ‘Now that you have basically won everything with the golden medal, what else is there to win?’ I still feel the drive. I still have the competitive spirit,” the 37-year-old from Serbia said Saturday. “I still want to make more history and enjoy myself on the tour.”
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If it seems like there is always some sort of milestone in the offing when Djokovic takes the court, that's because there usually is.
This time around at Flushing Meadows, where play begins Monday and the No. 2-seeded Djokovic faces 138th-ranked Radu Albot of Moldova at night in Arthur Ashe Stadium, there is the latest opportunity to get major singles championship No. 25, a total no man or woman ever has reached in tennis.
As the defending champion, there is also a chance to become the first man to win at least two consecutive titles at the U.S. Open since Roger Federer swept five in a row from 2004 to 2008.
“I didn’t know it was that long. Hopefully that changes this year,” Djokovic said. “I mean, that’s the goal. The goal is always for me to try to go all the way to the finals and fight for the trophy. That kind of mindset or approach is no different for me this year.”
That consistency of purpose is what has carried him to all of his achievements.
“I want to follow what Djokovic has done always in his career,” said Carlos Alcaraz, the 21-year-old who already owns four majors himself, “which is getting better and improving, showing up at the court playing at his best level.”
It's also as widely admired by other players in the sport as the numbers — “Colossal,” Alcaraz called the idea of winning a 25th major — associated with Djokovic's name.
“Your baseline average level just has to be so much better than everyone else’s. It speaks to how much better someone is than everyone else, because there are so many people just trying to get that one — trying to get one or two; a couple,” 12th-seeded American Taylor Fritz said. “It’s amazing. And obviously the discipline throughout the year, to never be satisfied and always want more, is also just extremely impressive in itself.”
Djokovic hasn't competed anywhere since beating Alcaraz in a pair of tiebreakers in the Summer Games title match.
The way Djokovic reacted that day — kneeling, trembling, crying — and the way he spoke about it Saturday left no doubt about its importance to him.
“Just a very proud moment of experiencing the gold medal around my neck, with the Serbian anthem and Serbian flag. Very, very special. Probably the most intense emotions I have ever had on a tennis court,” he said. “The moment of when I achieved it, how I achieved it, after years of trying, the journey that was the way it was, I think makes it even more unique.”
And now it's time to turn the page and pursue more hardware.
The season stops for no one, and Djokovic is not interested in taking any kind of a break right now.
He's won the U.S. Open on four occasions. Making that five is what is on his mind at the moment.
Consider: Djokovic is on the verge of his first year since 2017 without claiming at least one major trophy. He lost to Jannik Sinner — whose steroids case Djokovic weighed in on Saturday — in the semifinals of the Australian Open; withdrew from the French Open before the quarterfinals because he needed surgery on his right knee; lost to Alcaraz in the final at Wimbledon.
“Grand Slams are the pillars of our sport. They are THE most important historical tennis events that we have,” Djokovic said. “So if you don’t get pumped and inspired to play your best tennis at Grand Slams, it’s hard to do that anywhere else.”
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis