Novak Djokovic: "At 36, every Grand Slam final could be the last one; I don't know how many years I have ahead of me now"
After reaching the 2023 US Open final, Novak Djokovic expressed uncertainty over his future and vowed to make the most out of his next match at Flushing Meadows.
Djokovic registered a comfortable straight-sets victory over Ben Shelton in the semifinal on Friday, September 8. He dominated the first two sets and shrugged off a short-lived challenge from Shelton in the third to make it to his 10th US Open summit clash.
The Serb broke Shelton's serve five times and hit a total of 28 winners during the two-hour-40-minute-long encounter at Arthur Ashe Stadium. He maneuvered well on the court to win 23 out of 26 points on the net and won his 47th semifinal 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(4).
Reflecting on his journey so far, Djokovic emphasized that he values such opportunities at this stage of his life more than he did 10 years ago.
"Well, fact is that at 36, every Grand Slam final, yeah, I don't know, could be the last one. So I think that I probably value these occasions and opportunities to win another slam as more than I have maybe 10 years ago," he said during the post-match press conference.
"Because 10 years ago I felt like, hey, I still have quite a few years ahead of me. I don't know how many I have ahead of me now, or I don't know how many of the years where I play four slams in the whole season do I have in front of me," he added.
Novak Djokovic can become the oldest man to win US Open singles title
The next time Novak Djokovic steps onto the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium, he will have a shot at becoming the oldest man to win the US Open trophy in the Open Era. Ken Rosewall currently holds the record for his Flushing Meadows triumph in 1970 at the age of 35.
So far, the Serb has been triumphant in New York three times -- 2011, 2015, and 2018. He now awaits Daniil Medvedev in Sunday's title clash.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion discussed the probability of securing a fourth title in New York during the press conference on Friday. He said:
"I try to approach Sunday's match as basically any other match with intention to win, and I'll play my opponent. Knowing that it's going to be the toughest challenge.
"Not just because it's a final but also because I'm playing, the two guys that the last time I faced both of them in a Grand Slam finals I lost; Carlos Wimbledon [2023] and then Daniil here in 2021 US Open final."
Djokovic is also within touching distance of Magaret Court's all-time record of winning 24 Grand Slam titles.