We all know how much pride Novak Djokovic has when he has to represent his beloved Serbia in official competitions. I don’t need to repeat it: in some specific moments of his career – such as the Olympics – Nole has never been able to perform at his best, also because of the expectations and pressure he had to deal with in those moments. After all, representing your country is an honor and a burden.
In a recent interview, his former coach Boris Becker revealed a particular anecdote regarding the Rio Olympics, in 2016, when Andy Murray won his 2nd consecutive gold medal. In that Olympic tournament, Djokovic was defeated in the 1st round by Juan Martin del Potro in two sets. Nole on that occasion ended up in tears for the great disappointment. Becker said that after that defeat, for a few days, you couldn’t talk to Djokovic because he was so heartbroken.
“Nole has achieved 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 in the world and that’s why these Olympics will be so important to him. Then he lost to Juan Martin Del Potro in the first round and you couldn’t talk to him for the first few days because he was heartbroken. It was one of the biggest disappointments of his career, but that’s how it is,” said Becker, as reported by puntodebreak.com.
In the meantime, the Serbian champion, fresh from the Wimbledon final and about to compete in the Paris Olympics, has achieved a new sensational record. This is the number of weeks in which a tennis player has remained in the top-3 of the ATP ranking: Djokovic has surpassed his rival Roger Federer in this statistic. The Swiss Maestro is at 750 weeks, a threshold now reached by Nole. On the podium, of course, there is also Rafael Nadal with 686 weeks. In exactly seven days, when the curtain will have already risen for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Djokovic will take the record.
Novak Djokovic has equalled Roger Federer’s record for most weeks ranked in the ATP Top 3.
🇷🇸Djokovic: 750 weeks
🇨🇭Federer: 750 weeks
🇪🇸Nadal: 686 weeksJust another record for the greatest ever. pic.twitter.com/kBRRz3cdhz
— Danny 🐊 (@DjokovicFan_) July 21, 2024
The Serb knows he will have to raise his game to give himself a chance at the Paris Olympics (and subsequent tournaments, such as the US Open).
“Being able to reach the final at Wimbledon is a great confidence boost, but I feel like I’m not at the level I need to beat the best in the world. To have a chance to beat Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who are the best this year by far, in the final stages of a Slam or at the Olympics I will have to play much better. I will work, we are not talking about something I have never faced before. In adversity, I usually learn lessons and become stronger. I hope to have the opportunity to fight for a medal for my country. It will be on a completely different surface, returning to the place where I was injured a few weeks ago. We will see how I feel physically and mentally. I hope to be able to find my best tennis, because I will need everything I have and more to reach the final of the Olympic Games. As for returning to Wimbledon, I would definitely like that. I don’t think for a moment that this is my last Wimbledon. I really want to play again, I have no limits in my mind. I will play as long as I feel I can do it at this high level.
Carlos’ results make it worth talking about a generational change on his part and Sinner is doing very well this year, but these results need to be validated over time. There are people who have not even come close to winning Grand Slam titles and they make these statements. In any case, words are carried by the wind. It is logical that people talk about these things now, it seems like they always look for titles like this and great news. A lot of people are not happy that I am still among the best, so they are eager for a change. It is an intrinsic part of my sporting career and I always manage to work, perform and live with it. Obviously, the bigger the tournament I lose, the more media coverage it will have,” said the Serbian champion in the press conference after the Wimbledon final.