Novak Djokovic Reveals Where He Finds Inspiration at Twilight of His Career

Novak Djokovic has yet to win a Big Title since clinching his career's first gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Novak Djokovic Reveals Where He Finds Inspiration at Twilight of His Career

Novak Djokovic (Image via X/#AusOpen)

In Short
  • Novak Djokovic, at 38, remains competitive, reaching the Australian Open final and winning against Jannik Sinner in the semifinals.
  • He finds inspiration in his passion for tennis, the thrill of competition, and the support of his family.
  • Djokovic aims to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, viewing it as a long-term goal for his career.

Novak Djokovic, though he has reached the twilight of his career, still has the hunger for more glory. At 38, Djokovic played the final of this year’s Australian Open, and though he failed to defeat Carlos Alcaraz, his victory over Jannik Sinner in the semifinal proved once again that in big events, it’s impossible to write him off.

At present, Djokovic is in Indian Wells, where, although he is a record-holder with five titles alongside Roger Federer, he has not reached the quarterfinals since winning the title for the last time in 2016 by defeating Milos Raonic. Djokovic survived a scare in his first match since his defeat to Alcaraz in Melbourne.

After scheduling his career’s second match against Aleksandar Kovacevic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion sat for an interview with Tennis Channel during which Prakash Amritraj asked him what inspires him to keep returning to the courts at this stage of his career.

I find inspiration in many different things. I mean, first of all, I really love tennis. I’m passionate about it, passionate about competing. I love the thrill of getting out on the court and having your name being called, and you’re hearing the score being called, and you feel those nerves and…Billie Jean King said, ‘Pressure…pressure is privilege’, right? And it really resonates. It is. It means that you’re doing something that is important, that is worthy, that is valuable.

Djokovic, who is now 7-1 this season, last lifted a Masters 1000 title at the 2023 Paris Masters by defeating Grigor Dimitrov. Since then, he has made two finals at this level: lost to Sinner at the 2024 Shanghai Masters and to Jakub Mensik at the Miami Open last year.

And it’s also a great way for me to I think grow as a person, on a deep level, because all the things that I suppress or that we all suppress come out in our work, particularly if you’re an individual athlete. You have nowhere to hide. There’s a lot of different emotions that you have to face on the court, and so it teaches me a lot of lessons and kind of gives me reminders of what I need to work on emotionally as well.

Novak Djokovic added

Djokovic added that the motivation also comes from his family, especially when they attend his matches, saying it was always his dream to see his kids grow old enough to understand what he is doing.

Novak Djokovic says playing the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is his long-term goal

Novak Djokovic has said it time and again that he has no intention of hanging up his racket in the near future because one of his goals is to play at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. At the press conference after his Indian Wells opener, Djokovic was asked how high on his list of priorities defending his Olympic title is.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image via X/Novak Djokovic)

Yeah, that would be nice. I mean, that’s one of the long-term goals…let’s call it that way, to reach the Olympics. That would be nice.

Djokovic clinched his career’s first gold medal by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets in the 2024 Paris Olympics in his fifth appearance in the quadrennial event. He has yet to win a Big Title since that win.

His Indian Wells opponent, Kamil Majchrzak, took the first set off him on the back of a lack of rhythm from the Serb, who eventually recovered to clinch a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory and take a 1-0 head-to-head record over the Pole. Djokovic was struggling to play in the midst of gusty winds and also threw up following a rally of over 40 shots.

In last year’s Indian Wells, he lost to Botic van de Zandschulp in the opening round. Last year, he lifted two ATP 250 trophies: the Geneva Open and the Hellenic Championships.

Also read: Jannik Sinner Reveals Changes in his Training After Losing in Doha