Novak Djokovic receives a warm wish from Billie Jean King on his 36th birthday
Novak Djokovic received a heartfelt greeting from tennis legend Billie Jean King on his 36th birthday.
Djokovic recently completed in the 2023 Italian Open. He got off to a good start by beating Tomas Etcheverry, Grigor Dimitrov, and Cameron Norrie to reach the quarterfinals.
However, his run was cut short in the last 16 by Danish youngster Holger Rune. The Dane defeated the Serb in three sets, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 in a tight clash that lasted for two hours and 19 minutes.
Following that, on May 22, Djokovic celebrated his 36th birthday, and 12-time Grand Slam champion Billie Jean King took to Twitter to wish the Serb native a very happy birthday, writing:
"Wishing the happiest of birthdays to 22x Grand Slam champion, @DjokerNole!"
Wishing the happiest of birthdays to 22x Grand Slam champion, @DjokerNole! 🎉 https://t.co/sNHYmstETN
Novak Djokovic eyes 23rd Grand Slam title at the French Open 2023
Novak Djokovic will be aiming for his 23rd Grand Slam title at the 2023 French Open, and the absence of his arch-rival Rafael Nadal, a 14-time winner at the clay-court Grand Slam, will make the Serb's job easier.
After losing to Holger Rune, the 22-time Grand Slam champion spoke at a press conference about his chances at the French Open. He stated that he was looking to work on certain aspects of his game before the Grand Slam tournament in France.
"Nothing. I mean, just training and getting ready for the most important tournament of the clay season for me. I know I can always play better," he said.
"Definitely am looking forward to working on various aspects of my game, of my body, hopefully getting myself in 100% shape. That's the goal. I always like my chances in Grand Slams against anybody on any surface, best-of-five. Let's see how it goes," the Serb added.
The Serb also discussed the chances of the new generation of players at Roland-Garros, such as Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, and Jannik Sinner, saying that it's good and normal for the sport to have new faces compete for the trophy.
"Yeah, obviously, a new generation is here already. I mean, Alcaraz is No. 1 in the world from Monday. Obviously he's playing amazing tennis. I think it's also good for our sport that we have new faces, new guys coming up. It's normal," he said.
He added:
"I'm personally still trying to hang in there with all of them. I'm happy with - of course, very happy with - my career so far. I still have the hunger to keep going. Let's see how far I'm going to play."