Far from a tennis court but always close to sport, Novak Djokovic said present at the World Sports Summit in Dubai. The former world No. 1, who is already preparing to face a new season on the professional circuit, He recounted the moment that catapulted him to the level of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, in addition to revealing the reason why he continues playing and what caused the retirement of his two greatest rivals.
“Life is a beautiful journey and I think we all have unique stories to tell, and we don’t need to copy anyone else. I speak like this because I went through my own experiences in which I tried to be someone else when I was succeeding on the circuit. I tried to be nice. I did imitations, which I find funny. I always did them. People didn’t accept me as a third party” He began by recounting the top winner of Grand Slam tournaments.
“The era of Federer and Nadal was very intense in their rivalry and there was no room for a third. But I made space, I created space. And it was incredible, the ‘Big 3’ and the golden era that we created” manifested Djokovicwho burst into this duo with force to transform it into the most successful trio in the history of the sport after his first conquest in a majorat the 2008 Australian Open.
He maintained a rivalry with the Swiss and the Spaniard for almost two decades, with whom he not only promoted himself, but also catapulted tennis to another level. That is why when they hung up their racket, Nole experienced it with great particularity: “I feel like when they retired, a part of me left too. So I had to reinvent myself, look for new inspirations. And the reason I keep going is also to see how far I can push my own limits, charting my own path.”
Among these new inspirations is the reason why he continues to play professionally, at 38 years old: “I want to move forward. The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are like a guide, but honestly, there are no limits. So, let’s see. Let’s move forward.”
That is why he treats his retirement with a certain peculiarity and is not in a hurry to give an exact date: “People love to talk and speculate about retirement, because, well, people love to talk. But in the end, I feel like I’m still contributing to the growth of tennis. It’s a wonderful job.”
Carlos Alcaraz y Jannik SinnerOf course, they are part of this extra motivation for Djokovic keep playing: “I feel like there’s also a change in tennis that I want to be a part of. So, yeah, I’m still good. I’m looking forward to more. The young people are there. Of course they’re great. I love seeing how the generations come and go. I’m still there, so I love watching.”
