"I still have things to do here in this sport, I believe I can win more Slams and I can break the record for longest No. 1" - Novak Djokovic lays down marker on tennis goals
Novak Djokovic declared a statement of intent, expressing that he still has a lot to achieve as a tennis player. The Serbian tennis great will not be completely satisfied unless he wins the most number of Grand Slam singles titles and holds the record for the longest time at No. 1 in ATP history, thus cementing his GOAT status.
Djokovic, who won his 21st Grand Slam title at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, is currently one short of his greatest rival and the leader in the all-time Grand Slam title race, Rafael Nadal. The Serb, who is almost a year younger than Nadal, has time and again expressed his intention to hold the biggest records in the sport before he calls it quits.
Speaking in a recently-released interview with Graham Bensinger, he reiterated his stance on the same, signaling that he is far from done as he wants to win more Grand Slams and break the World No. 1 record.
"I still have things to do here in this sport," Djokovic said. "I believe I can win more Slams and I can break the record for longest No. 1. Those are definitely my clear goals."
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The 35-year-old already holds the record for most weeks at the World No. 1 spot in men's tennis history, with 373 weeks atop the rankings - 63 weeks clear of Roger Federer in second place. However, Federer still owns the record for most consecutive weeks at the summit of the ATP rankings.
The Swiss player was the No. 1 ranked player for 237 consecutive weeks between February 2004 and August 2008. Meanwhile, Djokovic has been No. 1 for a maximum of 122 consecutive weeks, between July 2014 and October 2016.
While he clearly expressed his future goals in the sport, the Serbian player went on to clarify that there are other things that motivate him as well in life.
"At the same time, they are not the only things that motivate me. On a daily basis, it's not sustainable, it doesn't fuel me every day. What fuels me every day is something that is more related to my growth, personally," the Belgrade native further said to Bensinger.
Novak Djokovic does not rule out playing at the age of 40
Novak Djokovic was further quizzed about the longevity of his tennis career. When asked whether he sees himself playing until the age of 40, the nine-time Australian Open champion did not rule out the possibility.
He further went on to highlight that it will require a huge amount of work on his end, both professionally and personally, to make that a reality.
"I don't believe in limits," the Serbian said. "I think limits are only an illusion of your ego or your mind. I definitely want to go for a long time, but I know that at the same time I will have to maintain the right principles and the routine to maintain the health and well-being of my body, mind, soul. Everything has to work in synergy and harmony with my family, my private life."
He further admitted that the older he gets, the lesser tournaments he will play on the ATP tour. He will just focus on the biggest tournaments, Grand Slams in particular, as time goes by.
"I'm aware that the tempo and the amount of tournaments that I'm playing is going to decrease very soon, so I will not be able to play with this intensity and these many tournaments and this much traveling for a long time. I might be playing at 40 but I will probably be just focusing on the biggest tournaments that mean the most to me," the seven-time Wmbledon champion stated.
On those lines, former tennis player Barbara Schett also recently favored Djokovic's chances of playing for at least a few more years on tour and called him the favorite to eventually take the lead over Nadal and Federer in the GOAT debate. Meanwhile, the World No. 6 is currently waiting with bated breath and hoping for good news on his US Open participation.