“The love I received from the crowd is still in my mind” – Djokovic already looking ahead to US Open

Following his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, Novak Djokovic is set to take a rest and spend time with his family before starting his preparation for the US Open.

Due to COVID regulations requiring all entrants to the USA to be vaccinated, Djokovic was not able to travel to New York to play at the US Open last year. Because of this same stipulation, he also missed six Masters 1000 tournaments in North America across the course of 2022 and early 2023.

“I keep on going with the same resolution, with a big desire and fresh goals – the US Open and Davis Cup are the most important competitions for me until the end of this year. I hope to stay healthy, motivated, ready, strong – so that I can fight for another Grand Slam title,” Djokovic told Serbian outlet Sport Klub.

Djokovic last played at the US Open in 2021, when he was one step away from completing the calendar Slam, but he lost in the final to Daniil Medvedev.

“I am looking forward to coming back to New York. Throughout my career, I’ve played my best on hard courts, although grass has become my favourite surface too in the last five-six years. But overall, considering tournaments where I’ve been most successful – it’s hard courts“, Djokovic told Serbian reporters.

“I’ve played a lot of finals in New York (record 3-5 in those finals). I lost the last one to Medvedev, but I received a lot of love from the crowd, which wasn’t the case in the past. I left New York with that image in my head, so I am really looking forward to going back.”

Before the US Open, which starts on 28th of August, Djokovic will play at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, but will miss the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

“Yes, that’s the plan for now – I will play in Cincinnati as preparation for New York.”

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