NEW YORK – What motivates Novak Djokovic now that there’s nothing left for him to fight for?
The 24-time Grand Slam champion finally won his coveted Olympic gold medal in Paris this month, essentially putting the ending touches on tennis and securing the game's only coveted title that had previously eluded him. Djokovic has other goals, resembling a twenty fifth Grand Slam title that might put him ahead of Australia's Margaret Court, however the Olympic gold was the true high point for a player who has amassed trophies like interest.
Lately, that hasn't been the case. When he arrived in New York, his name wasn't engraved on any of the three majors for the primary time in 14 years.
The most interesting thing is that he has been here before.
In 2016, Djokovic finally won the French Open in Paris, completing the profession Grand Slam and becoming the second male player within the Open Era after Rod Laver to carry all 4 Grand Slam titles concurrently.
With his victory on the 2016 French Open, Novak Djokovic left his contemporaries behind. (Philippe Lopez / AFP via Getty Images)
It felt like he would dominate tennis eternally. Instead, he lost to Sam Querrey at Wimbledon after which went two years without winning a significant tournament. During that point, he needed to undergo elbow surgery and experienced some completely uncharacteristic surprises – the mother of all declines.
“I wasn’t in the right place mentally,” he said later.
In 2024, there are early signs that he’s working to avoid a repeat. Asked about his motivation before the tournament began, Djokovic spoke about his rivalries with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, his lobbying with the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) and his belief in his competitiveness.
There isn't much to be learned from his 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 first-round win over underdog Radu Albot, but Djokovic – and the remainder of the tennis world – could learn more from what awaits him on Wednesday. He faces fellow countryman Laslo Djere in a repeat of their fourth-round meeting in 2023. Djokovic trailed by two sets but eventually won in five sets en path to the title.
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Djokovic is in a wierd position. He has just had what he calls the “biggest success” of his profession, but overall his season has been more of a low point than a high point. Despite beating Alcaraz to win Olympic gold, Djokovic has lost to the Spaniard in two consecutive Wimbledon finals. Sinner overwhelmed him on the Australian Open, an event where he previously seemed invincible. The rivalries that motivate him haven’t been going in accordance with plan recently.
Novak Djokovic's problems date back to his clay court profession. (Filippo Monteforte / AFP via Getty Images)
That could help Djokovic. He finally has two younger rivals at his level and he shall be eager to get back to the highest of the game and beat them like he has done with so many other players over the past decade. He stands out as the US Open champion, but here in New York it’s reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz who has the most important goal on his back. Sinner, not Djokovic, is the world No. 1.
Djokovic loves nothing greater than proving a degree and silencing those that have written him off. This is just not like June 2016, when it looked almost too easy for Djokovic to dominate the game of tennis as he turned the “Big Four” into the “Big One.”
Just over eight years ago, there was not even the slightest hint that Djokovic's motivation would wane. Looking back, it could appear obvious that reaching the Holy Grail of tennis could trigger a lull, but on the time, this was not foreseeable.
Looking back at his pre-Wimbledon press conferences, Djokovic was not asked if he would set latest goals for himself. It was only when he suffered the seismic shock of a loss to American Sam Querrey that the subject got here up.
Novak Djokovic's defeat against American Sam Querrey at Wimbledon is considered one of the most important shocks in recent tournament history. (Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty Images)
“It's an incredible feeling to be able to win four Grand Slams at the same time,” Djokovic said that summer. “When I came to Wimbledon, I knew it wouldn't be easy mentally to re-motivate myself.”
Djokovic has since spoken of getting undergone an existential crisis during this time.
“I went through a phase where I was really taking care of myself off the court,” he later recalled. There were just a few rain stoppages throughout the loss to Querrey, and Djokovic remembers asking his team to depart him alone in a room during considered one of those stoppages.
“I just looked at the wall and I felt dizzy. I literally had no energy left,” he said.
In a 2018 interview, he added that the injuries he suffered in the course of the previous 12 months happened when he was experiencing “a certain emotional imbalance.” He split from Boris Becker at the top of 2016 and had disbanded his team throughout the 2017 clay court season in an try to regain his will to win. Djokovic even considered retiring as his motivation had completely disappeared.
Since then, he has been in a position to view this difficult time as a priceless learning experience. He even said he was “super glad” to have undergone it. If there was ever a time when this experience might be useful, it’s now.
At 37 and just months after knee surgery, physical relatively than mental challenges stands out as the biggest obstacles to Djokovic's quest for renewed dominance. “I have no limitations in my mind,” he said at Wimbledon. “I want to keep going and play as long as I feel I can play at this high level.”
At the homecoming celebration in Belgrade following the Olympic Games, Djokovic indicated that there was nothing left for him to win. “I feel fulfilled, complete, let's celebrate!” he said. In the following breath, he opened up the potential for playing into his 40s and defending his title on the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
There are just a few aspects in his favor. His children at the moment are at an age where they’ll see their father in motion, which appears to be an extra inspiration. Djokovic cried in her arms in Paris and developed a brand new and knowing violin playing style for his daughter.
The Olympic gold was a reason to have a good time for the entire family. (Amin Mohammad Jamali / Getty Images)
But above all, he has the game. The beauty of tennis is that even if you've already won every little thing, there are all the time latest challenges to beat. To develop latest shots, to check out latest tactics.
Against Albot on Monday, Djokovic definitely looked motivated as he pulled off a few of his party tricks at Arthur Ashe Stadium. He managed to interrupt serve after trailing 40-0. He hit the forehand harder than seemingly at some other point in his profession. He sealed the second set with a second-serve ace. Why not? A second-round match against Djere on Wednesday won’t quite be the Olympic gold medal match, but give Djokovic a court, an opponent and a crowd and he'll still find something to prove.
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