Djokovic feeling good as he looks to stay at top level
London
Novak Djokovic feels Wimbledon could be his best chance of adding a record 25th Grand Slam to his exceptional CV as he prepares for his 20th experience of the tournament.
The Serbian, who has lifted the men's singles trophy seven times, exited the French Open at the semi-final stage after losing to a far younger player in Jannik Sinner.
At 38 Djokovic is bidding to become the oldest winner of a major title, and with his prior Wimbledon form he considers the upcoming championship a prime opportunity to do so.
'My wish is to play for several more years, I would love to be healthy physically and also mentally motivated to keep on playing at the highest level,' he said.
'That's the goal, but you never know at this stage.
'I would probably agree that Wimbledon could be the best chance (of a 25th Grand Slam) because of the results I have had, because of how I feel, how I play in Wimbledon - just getting that extra push mentally and motivation to perform the best tennis at the highest level.
'Whether it could be my last dance, I'm not sure, as I'm not sure about Roland Garros or any other slam that I play next.'
In the latter stages of his career Djokovic has focused less on his ranking and more on his performances in Grand Slams, an approach that has allowed him to be philosophical about losses in lesser events.
He said: 'I would say it's slightly different for me now in terms of I don't chase the rankings anymore in that regard. I'm trying to play the best tennis in Grand Slams and trying to win Grand Slams. That hasn't changed.
'Even though my level of tennis has been going quite up and down and fluctuating much more than it was the case for the most part of my career - if you see the last year and a half I've been kind of volatile with my results. Grand Slams stays quite consistent.
'Except the US Open last year, was playing quarters or semi-finals. That's good. That's a good sign because that's exactly what I want. These tournaments give me the biggest drive still.
'This year I played two semi-finals. Unfortunately in Australia I had to retire, in Roland Garros
'I was outplayed by Sinner. I think I still played a decent level of tennis that showed me that I can still play on a very high level at the later stages.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Qatar Tribune
8 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Wimbledon happy with security measures after Putintseva issue
PA Media/DPA London Wimbledon organisers are confident security measures at the championships are appropriate following concerns raised by Yulia Putintseva about the behaviour of a spectator. World number 33 Putintseva complained directly to the umpire about a man, whom she described as 'dangerous' and 'crazy', during her 6-0 6-0 first-round defeat to Amanda Anisimova. The PA news agency understands the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) is happy with safety protocols at the tournament and does not plan to make any changes in the wake of the incident. During a change of ends when trailing 3-0 in the opening set of Monday's match on Court 15, Putintseva said: 'Can you take him out? I am not going to continue playing until he leaves. These people are dangerous, they are crazy.' The 30-year-old Kazakh player, who did not speak to the media after her loss, described the person as wearing green. Umpire Fabio Souza came down from his chair and spoke to three members of security staff. 'Take him out, because maybe he has a knife and he will attack,' added Putintseva, when told play would resume. Putintseva was later pictured in tears during a contest which lasted just 44 minutes. An AELTC spokesperson said: 'Following a complaint about the behaviour of a spectator at the match on Court 15, the chair umpire informed security and the matter was dealt with.' American opponent Anisimova told the BBC she believed the spectator had been saying something 'when (Putintseva) was about to serve' and added: 'I am sure that we were protected'. Player safety was in the spotlight in the run up to Wimbledon. The man given a restraining order for stalking British number one Emma Raducanu was caught trying to obtain tickets for this summer's championship when his name was flagged by the All England Club's security system. Meanwhile, British number two Katie Boulter revealed she had received death threats as she highlighted the scale of abuse aimed at tennis players online.
Qatar Tribune
8 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Fluminense shock Inter to reach Club World Cup quarter-finals
PA Media/dpa London Fluminense pulled off a major shock as they scored early and late to secure a 2-0 win over Inter Milan and book a spot in the Club World Cup quarter-finals at a baking Charlotte. German Cano put Fluminense ahead within three minutes, albeit fortuitously after the ball had kindly fallen to him from a deflected cross, but the Brazilian side went toe-to-toe with the Champions League finalists for much of the contest played in sweltering temperatures. Lautaro Martinez hit a post for Inter but both goalkeepers were tested before Hercules, who was introduced on the hour mark, struck deep into stoppage time to secure victory for Fluminense. After downing the Serie A giants, Fluminense's reward is a clash against either Premier League side Manchester City or Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal in Orlando on Friday. Fluminense pressed from the off and Yann Sommer was almost caught out in the first few seconds by Stefan de Vrij's miscued back pass, with the Swiss just about whipping off the onrushing Cano's toes. Inter failed to heed the warning and found themselves 1-0 down as Jhon Arias' cross ricocheted off Alessandro Bastoni and the ball ballooned to the unmarked Cano, who nutmegged Sommer with his header. Federico Dimarco tested Fluminense's 44-year-old goalkeeper Fabio to get down low to save with a first-time shot, while Matteo Darmian was fouled just outside the penalty box as Inter went up in gear. But at the other end, Arias' curling effort was pushed away by Sommer before Samuel Xavier sprayed the rebound wide, while Cano headed into an empty net only to be flagged for offside before half-time. It was Fluminense who first threatened upon the resumption, with another curling effort from distance from the busy Arias forcing an outstretched Sommer to fingertip round a post. Despite the heat-sapping conditions, Inter started to show more urgency in the final half hour, with Martinez cushioning a header down for De Vrij, who skewed wide from inside the six-yard area. Dimarco's free-kick whistled past the post with Fabio struggling to cover, but the Fluminense custodian denied Sebastiano Esposito's first-time effort with his feet before Martinez was then denied by a post. Lima was off-target after a quick Fluminense break but Hercules' cool finish in the third minute of added-on time settled matters to send their supporters at the Bank of America Stadium into raptures. A throw-in was only half cleared by Inter and fell into the path of Hercules, who ran on the diagonal before nervelessly slotting low across a helpless Sommer from just outside the area. Inter were once again denied by the goalframe following Dimarco's shot from the edge of the box but it mattered little as Fluminense celebrated a historic win.
Qatar Tribune
8 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Leeds sign Belgian defender Bornauw
PA Media/dpa London Leeds have raided Wolfsburg for the second time in just over a fortnight as the Premier League newcomers announced the signing of Sebastiaan Bornauw. The Belgian centre-back, capped four times by his country, is set to swap the Bundesliga for the English top flight after signing a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He is Leeds' third summer signing and second from Wolfsburg, following last month's acquisition of Lukas Nmecha, who had been a team-mate of Bornauw in Germany for the past four years. 'With Premier League preparations continuing for Daniel Farke's side, everyone at Leeds would like to welcome Sebastiaan to the club,' a statement from the club said. Bornauw, whose move is subject to a work permit and international clearance, started his career with Anderlecht, making his first-team debut in 2018 before switching to Cologne the following year. He then joined Wolfsburg four years ago and the 1.9-metre-tall defender has gone on to make more than 100 appearances, including three in the Champions League during the 2021-22 campaign. The 26-year-old is the second defender to join Leeds following their promotion from the Sky Bet Championship, with Jaka Bijol making the move from Udinese to West Yorkshire last month. Earlier, Leeds announced defender Junior Firpo had left Elland Road as a free agent upon the expiry of his contract. The 28-year-old left-back made 119 appearances for the Whites in all competitions after arriving in a £13-million ($17.9-million) deal from Barcelona in 2021.
