Djokovic after surging into quarter-finals: “The fire is still burning”
Novak Djokovic is still hungry for more despite having already achieved so much in tennis. The world No 1 was asked about his mentality following his win on Sunday.
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Unfortunately for the rest of the ATP Tour, Novak Djokovic isn’t going anywhere.
It wasn’t anything that the tennis world hasn’t heard from him before, but Djokovic sounded more motivated than ever following his 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 fourth-round destruction of Adrian Mannarino at the Australian Open on Sunday afternoon.
The 36-year-old was asked in his post-match press conference if he can enjoy tennis even more now that he has achieved so many records — including a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
“I thought maybe I would this year feel slightly more relaxed, for lack of better term, or maybe less tension, less stress [in] practice sessions (and) matches,” he said. “But it’s not. It is as it always was: very high intensity. You can see it even today. I was 6-Love, 2-Love up. It was a long game, and I was like going on with discussions, heated discussions, with my box.
“Yeah, I always look for the best performance from myself. So I put a lot of effort every single day into making it happen. When it doesn’t happen, I’m frustrated.
Yeah, it’s still there. The fire is still burning. I think that’s what allowed me to be where I am and achieve the things that I have achieved.”
The drive is still there…. I’m a fierce competitor.
Novak Djokovic
One of the few things Djokovic hasn’t achieved is the calendar-year Grand Slam. It’s an obvious goal he has this season, having twice come close in recent years. He came within one win in 2021 but lost to Daniil Medvedev in the 2021 US Open final. He also won three of the four majors in 2023, losing only in the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz.
It could even be a calendar-year golden slam given that this is an Olympic year. And that’s another one of the few accomplishments that has eluded Djokovic. The top-ranked Serb has never won a gold medal.
But even if Djokovic already had achieved everything, he would still be out here battling for more.
“Part of me, of course, is enjoying the process — otherwise I wouldn’t be playing,” he concluded. “[At] the end of the day, I’m not playing anymore because I need more money or I need more points or whatever. I just want to play. I really enjoy the competition.
“The drive is there. That’s the most important thing an athlete should always have and nurture. I don’t think I’ll be able to, while still competing, really kind of nonchalantly go out on the court and have fun with it. It’s just not me.
“Yeah, I’m a fierce competitor, [like] many guys out there. Yeah, that’s kind of my style.”
