Ex-coach reveals why Novak Djokovic has not been able to do well in ‘team competitions’ as he gears up for the gold medal match against Carlos Alcaraz at Paris Olympics

Marco Panichi explains why Novak Djokovic has not been able to perform at the same level for his country as he does for himself.

Ex-coach reveals why Novak Djokovic has not been able to do well in ‘team competitions’ as he gears up for the gold medal match against Carlos Alcaraz at Paris Olympics

Novak Djokovic (Image via Imago)

Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic is all geared up for the men’s singles final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 37-year-old has reached an Olympic final for the first time in his career, which is a strange stat.

Djokovic has achieved almost everything a tennis player can dream of. He has 24 Grand Slam titles, seven ATP Finals titles, and a total of 98 tour-level titles. However, an Olympic gold medal has eluded the Serbian for long. Now, he has a chance to finally achieve it in what could be potentially his last Olympic Games on Sunday.

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However, considering how Djokovic has fared while representing his country, there are apprehensions. Contrary to his individual records, Djokovic has average numbers while paying for Serbia.

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The reason has been revealed by Nole’s former fitness coach, Marco Panichi. The Italian has claimed that Djokovic takes additional pressure whenever he is playing for the country. Panichi believes that Djokovic “expects too much from himself” when playing for Serbia.

He expects too much from himself. We all know what he has won, but when he plays for a team, even in smaller competitions like the ATP Cup or the United Cup, he is under a lot of pressure. He won the ATP Cup with Serbia, but he played badly. He is under a lot of pressure and goes out on the court with a lot of stress that he does not handle very well.
Marco Panichi said about Novak Djokovic to SuperTennis.

Panichi cited examples of the Davis Cup and the ATP Cup, further talking about the issues Djokovic faces when playing for a team.

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Alex Corretja(L),, Novak Djokovic(R)

Can Novak Djokovic change things at 2024 Paris Olympics?

While Novak Djokovic has not been able to perform for his country at the same level as he does for himself, the Serbian ace has gotten a great opportunity to make it up as he gears up to fight in the 2024 Paris Olympics final.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Via Imago)

Having made it to his maiden Olympic final, Djokovic would be motivated to bag the gold medal and the three-time French Open champion sent a warning to his opponent, saying he will fight for the gold.

The former World No. 1 has done exceedingly well at the Games so far, winning all his matches in straight sets. Despite problems with his right knee, Djokovic fought in the semifinal against Lorenzo Musetti and beat the Italian in straight sets.

However, playing against Carlos Alcaraz will be a different challenge altogether. The Spaniard is on a dream run this season and recently beat Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. It is to be seen if Djokovic uses the extra motivation that comes from playing for the country to topple Alcaraz, or if the pressure will bog him down again.

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