Novak Djokovic's honest confession of chasing history in French Open earns respect from former Serena Williams coach
Rennae Stubbs, Serena Williams' former coach, shared her utmost respect for Novak Djokovic, who recently confessed his pursuit of history at the 2023 French Open.
Djokovic recently competed in the 2023 Italian Open. The Serb got off to a good start by beating Tomas Etcheverry, Grigor Dimitrov, and Cameron Norrie to reach the quarter-finals.
However, Djokovic's run was cut short 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 two hours and 19 minutes.
Novak Djokovic will now be aiming for his 23rd Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros. 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.
In a press conference before the start of the clay court Major, Djokovic said that he finds the prospect of chasing history at the French Open flattering and motivating. He also acknowledged the absence of Nadal as a significant loss for tennis and Roland Garros.
"History being on the line is something that is very flattering and is very motivating, no doubt about it," Djokovic said. "Obviously Nadal not playing in the tournament here is a big loss for tennis, is a big loss for Roland Garros, because he's by far the most successful player to play in this tournament in the history."
In response to the remarks made by Djokovic, Rennae Stubbs took to Twitter to express her profound admiration and respect for the 22-time Grand Slam winner.
"Respect!" Stubbs wrote.
Respect! twitter.com/BastienFachan/…
"One of the main reasons I play today is to try to make more history in tennis" - Novak Djokovic
In the press conference ahead of the 2023 French Open, Novak Djokovic addressed his goal of breaking records and making history in tennis. According to Djokovic, this is very "motivating and inspiring" for him to compete in the pro tour nowadays.
"Well, it's no secret that one of the main reasons I play today and compete in professional tennis is to try to break more records and make more history in tennis. That's extremely motivating and inspiring for me," he said.
However, Djokovic also recognized that his body is responding differently now compared to 10 years ago. He further added that it has had an impact on his ability to handle the demanding schedule of consecutive seasons.
"But as I said, at the same time, you know, things are different than they were 10 years ago in terms of how my body is maybe responding to the schedule. You know, I'm playing season after season," he said.
The Serb will open his campaign at Roland-Garros against Aleksandar Kovacevic on Monday, May 29.