Goran Ivanisevic Believes Novak Djokovic “Will Push Through” Until the 2028 Olympics

It is believed that Novak Djokovic is in the last phase of his career. The Serbian legend is 39 and doesn’t have much time left to continue to compete at the top level of the sport. However, he has admitted that he wants to play the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. His ex-coach Goran Ivanisevic has backed him to pull off his dream of competing at the event.

Djokovic has no doubt had a distinguished career on tour. The former World No.1 is the oldest player in the top 20, and he’s still breaking records and extending them. He has proven these critics wrong on numerous occasions, and one of them was at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz to win the elusive gold medal.

He then became the oldest player to reach the final of the Australian Open men’s singles in January, but couldn’t get hold of the title, losing to Alcaraz. At the Wimbledon Championships, he became the man with the most match wins at the tournament, beating the record of his ex-rival Roger Federer.

However, there are questions around his claim that he would like to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The 24-time Grand Slam champion will be 41 by the time the Games take place. In recent years, he has featured in fewer tournaments on tour, focusing his preparation particularly for Grand Slam tournaments.

This year alone, he has played in just five tournaments, the fewest by any player in the top 20 on tour. Yet, he has reached the semi-finals of two of them. In an interview with Croatia’s Sportske Novosti, Ivanisevic revealed that there’s a possibility Djokovic will play at the 2028 Games, adding that he’s still competing against the top 3 players on tour:

He says he’ll play until the Los Angeles Games, and we’re talking about two years. Honestly, knowing him, he’s able to push through with the schedule he’s playing in, with a head that’s incredible, special. It’s possible. After all, he’s still right behind Sinner, Alcaraz, and Zverev, or, we could say, those four are above everyone else, so why not?

Jannik Sinner didn’t compete at the 2024 Games due to illness. He was forced to withdraw from the tournament days before kickoff. Alcaraz will be seeking to claim an Olympic gold medal by 2028 after coming short in the last edition. Only Alexander Zverev has nothing to contend for should he play at the 2028 Games. He won the men’s singles gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Goran Ivanisevic reveals why Novak Djokovic stands out amongst the greatest athletes in the world

With Novak Djokovic still competing at 39 at the highest level, he has now been compared to other sporting legends, including football star Lionel Messi and NBA legend LeBron James. The Serbian legend has been competing in tennis and has won all the titles that the sport can offer, just like Messi and LeBron James in football and Basketball.

However, these athletes still derive joy from challenging their bodies, staying passionate about their different professions, and breaking records almost every tournament they compete in. During the aforementioned interview, Goran Ivanisevic revealed that the reason why Djokovic competes to date is that he pays attention to his schedule:

Amazing, they are geniuses, there aren’t many of them. They invest a lot, they take care of themselves, they pay attention to every detail. Here, Novak pays attention to the playing schedule and in the end the only question is how much will he have.

Tennis schedule has become one of the biggest topics in recent years. Players have complained that the schedule has become too congested and there is not enough time for players to rest after each tournament. Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek are two players who have been most vocal about the schedule issue on tour.

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