Novak Djokovic Remains Grateful About his Achievements to Block ‘Unnecessary’ Expectations for a 25th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic is just one Grand Slam away from becoming the all-time record holder of tournaments.

Novak Djokovic Remains Grateful About his Achievements to Block ‘Unnecessary’ Expectations for a 25th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic (Image via X/AllAboutHQ)

Novak Djokovic is currently tied on 24 Grand Slam titles with Australia’s Margaret Court since last triumphing at the 2023 US Open. The former World No.1 has been pushing to claim his 25th Slam since then but has struggled break the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. He has admitted that he aims to block the ambition of achieving that from his mind in Melbourne.

For the past two seasons, Djokovic has shown signs of decline in recent years, yet still managed to reach the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams last year. At the Australian Open, he holds a mind-blowing record, having won it 10 times. However, before the tournament, he withdrew from the Adelaide International.

The Adelaide tournament was meant to be a warm-up event ahead of the first Grand Slam of the season. However, having skipped the event, there’s a belief that he has had plenty of recovery time going into the Australian Open, and among former players, there’s a growing consensus that tournaments represent his best chance of winning his 25th Grand Slam.

Djokovic has made no secret of his desire to win his 25th Grand Slam and even more history. Last year, he was very positive about his display on the court, winning his 100th and 101st titles on tour. But has acknowledged that he seeks more titles, even past his expected achievements.

But heading into the Australian Open, Djokovic is attempting to release some of the unnecessary pressure he places on himself to win his 25th Grand Slam title. He revealed during his press conference in Melbourne that he’s trying to focus on the goal, as winning 24 Grand Slams isn’t that bad:

I’ve talked a lot about the 25th Grand Slam, but now I’m trying to focus on what I’ve accomplished, not what I might accomplish. I hope this message gets through: I think 24 isn’t a bad number either. I have to appreciate it and remind myself of the incredible career I’ve had. This frees me from some unnecessary expectations and pressure, although there will always be pressure and expectations, but without the now-or-never mentality.

Djokovic will kick off his Australian Open campaign against Pedro Martinez on Monday (January 19) in the night session on Rod Laver Arena. He has not gotten past the semi-finals of the Australian Open since winning it in 2023. Last year, he reached the last four of the event but retired in his match against Alexander Zverev.

Novak Djokovic says the PTPA needs to change its system to help the sport grow

Novak Djokovic recently announced that he is no longer part of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), a player’s union he co-founded in 2020. This comes months after the PTPA launched legal actions against the tennis governing bodies, including the ATP and the WTA tours.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image via ATP/X)

However, Djokovic publicly expressed his frustration with the suit, stressing that the plaintiffs have overused his name to advance their agenda. During the aforementioned press conference, he noted that the system of the PTPA is failing tennis players in the sport and will need a change to make the sport better:

I still have the opinion that the system is failing us and I think it has to change. I also didn’t like the way the leadership was taking the direction of the PTPA. Does that mean that I’m not supporting PTPA? No, I am. I am still wishing them all the best, because I think there is room and a need for 100% players-only representation organisation existing in our ecosystem.

The PTPA announced last year that it had reached an early-stage settlement with Tennis Australia, which runs the Melbourne Grand Slam, in relation to its lawsuit. The players’ union believed it was making progress in its bid to improve the sport, but Djokovic’s departure will be a major setback for them.

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