Posted by Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday October 13, 2024
There is still a lot of good stuff Novak Djokovic taking despite the fact that he failed to bring home his 100th ATP title on Sunday in Shanghai. A 24-time major champion, who won Jannik Sinner7-6(4), 6-3, he says this 100th title has never been his focus in terms of scoring goals.
“It’s not my life or death goal, I think I’ve accomplished all my big goals in my career,” the 37-year-old told reporters after his loss on Sunday. “Right now it’s all about the slams and I’m still seeing how far I can push myself.”
Djokovic says he believes he can still keep up with the top talents on the ATP Tour, Djokovic went 1-3 against Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in 2024, marking a crucial victory over Alcaraz in the Olympic gold medal match. his era. He was soundly beaten by Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, and has lost both matches to Sinner, in the semi-finals of the Australian Open and today in Shanghai, when he won only one set.
“As long as I perform the way I did this week, I think I can meet the big guys,” he said, adding: “As long as I do, I think I’ll still feel it.” the need to keep competing, and the motivation to be out there, and let’s see how long that lasts.”
The Serbian star says he is fueled by his love of tennis and his competitive fire. He plans to continue pushing for major tennis titles in 2025. His tone these days can be described as more optimistic than confident, which is a stark contrast to where he was in 2023, when he won three of the four titles on offer.
However, hope always lasts.
“My main goal is love and passion for this game, and wanting to continue competing,” he said. “These are the types of games and challenges that I am still struggling to be in a position to play with the best players in the world, on the biggest stage, in the finals of the biggest tournaments in the world.
“That’s what I’m working for and that’s why I keep pushing. That’s all that can be said about that. I don’t know what the future holds, I’ll just try to go with the flow and see how I feel at some point. I still plan to compete and play next season and, yeah, let’s see how far I go.”
