The Australian Open marked the career of Novak Djokovic, the Serbian tennis player won the Melbourne tournament 10 times, played some anthological matches in Australia, and is now preparing for another appearance at the first Grand Slam of the season.
The Australian Open begins tomorrow, with Janik Siner defending the title, and Djokovic will take to the court on Monday, when he will play against Spaniard Pedro Martinez in the first round.
"Happy New Year everyone. It's great to be here again. This is my 21st time, which is incredible. Back in 2005, I qualified for a slam here for the first time, playing in the evening on Rod Laver Arena with Safin, who later won the title. A long and successful journey. I always love playing in Australia, they don't call it the Happy Slam for nothing. I don't take any opportunity for granted, I hope to get the most out of myself," said Novak Djokovic ahead of the tournament.
Novak spoke about preparations for this season.
"I finished the season in the first week of November, it's been a long time since my last official match. I took more time to rebuild my body and get ready. In the last two years, the biggest problem has been physical fitness and speed of recovery. I had a small problem that prevented me from going to Adelaide, but so far everything is great here. There are always some little things in the life of a tennis player, but overall I feel very good."
Djokovic won his last Grand Slam at the US Open in 2023. He currently has 24 trophies from major tournaments, can he reach 25 in Melbourne?
"There's a lot of talk about a 25th Slam, but I'm more focused on what I've already achieved - 24 isn't a bad number either. I want to reduce the pressure on myself. The pressure is always there, but I don't want a 'now or never' mentality. I'm grateful for the opportunity I have, especially here where I've won ten titles. I know that when I'm healthy and when I put the puzzle together, I can beat anyone. If I didn't have that confidence, I wouldn't even be sitting here," Djokovic said.
Djokovic has written tennis history, he is the best of all time.
"I don't know if I would agree that athletes regret their failures more than they appreciate their successes. It's all a matter of personal perspective. I'm the last one who should complain - I've broken almost every record, I'm grateful to tennis for allowing me to live my dream. Of course, successes are important, but there's also the love of the game, the interaction with people, the adrenaline of going out on the court... It's like a drug. I'm often asked when it's over, but I'm not thinking about that yet. I'm still number four in the world and competing with the best," Djokovic pointed out.
He talked about the difference between him and Janik Siner and Carlos Alcaraz.
"I don't know what others lack, but I sometimes lack a little strength in my legs in the finals of slams. Still, I give it my all. I lost three out of four semifinals to them, we know how dominant they are. My priority is taking care of my body, building momentum and not wasting energy unnecessarily. I hope I get a chance to play with them," concluded Djokovic.
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