By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday, October 13, 2024
There are still many positives about Novak Djokovic to get despite the fact that he failed to bring home his 100th career ATP title on Sunday in Shanghai. 24 times grand champion, who fell to Jannik the Sinner7-6(4), 6-3, says the 100th title has never been a big focus for him in terms of scoring.
“It’s not a live-or-die type of goal for me, I think I’ve achieved all my biggest goals in my career,” the 37-year-old told the media after his loss on Sunday. “Right now it’s really about the shots and still seeing how far I can push the bar for myself.”
Djokovic says he believes he can still match the top talents on the ATP Tour, Djokovic has gone a combined 1-3 against Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in 2024, scoring a decisive victory over Alcaraz in the Olympic gold medal match that made his season. He was soundly beaten by Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final and has lost both matches with Sinner, in the semi-finals of the Australian Open and today in Shanghai, winning just one set.
“As long as I perform like I actually performed this week, I think I can go toe-to-toe with the big boys,” he said, adding: “As long as that’s the case, I think I’ll still feel it. the need to keep competing and the motivation to be there, and let’s see how long that lasts.”
The Serbian icon says he is still fueled by his passion for tennis and his competitive fire. He plans to keep pushing for the biggest titles in tennis in 2025. His tone these days could be described as more hopeful than confident, which is a big change from where he was in 2023, when he won three of four championships offered.
However, hope springs eternal.
“My main motivation comes from the love and passion for the sport and the desire to continue competing,” he said. “These are the types of matches and challenges that I still strive for, to be able to play against the best players in the world, on the biggest stage, in the finals of some of the biggest tournaments in the world.
“This is what I work for and why I keep pushing myself. That’s all that can be said about it. I don’t know what the future holds, I’ll just try to go with the flow to see how I feel at a given moment. I still plan to compete and play next season and, yeah, let’s see how far I go.”
