New York, Aug 29 As Novak Djokovic prepares to take on Cameron Norrie in the third round of the US Open, the Serbian star said that he still has the desire to compete against young guys.
It has been almost two years since Djokovic last won a Grand Slam; his last major triumph came at Flushing Meadows in 2023. Since then, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have shared the last seven majors between them as Djokovic's record 25th major feels increasingly out of reach.
After a straight-sets victory over rising American Learner Tien in the opening round, Djokovic needed four sets to overcome Zachary Svajda, ultimately securing a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win in just over two-and-a-half hours.
“I wasn’t really happy with my tennis for the first part of the match,” he commented after committing 14 unforced errors against Svajda, who was hindered by cramps in the latter stages.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion was asked on court if he felt that round-by-round improvements were likely. "That's what I'm hoping, that was the case for most of my Grand Slam career,” he said. “The deeper I go in the tournament, the better I feel about my game."
Asked if he’d “come in cold” to the season-ending Grand Slam, Djokovic noted, “Obviously I didn't have any matches since Wimbledon, so it is the right term in a sense, but I have put in a lot of training in last three, four weeks.
“I decided not to play because I wanted to spend more time with my family. And to be honest, you know, I think I earned my right and have the luxury of kind of choosing, picking and choosing where I want to go and what I want to play.”
Now almost exclusively targeting Slam success, Djokovic does so with full intensity. “There is always something to prove once you step out onto the court, which is you're still able to win a tennis match,” he noted of his enduring motivation.
“I still love the feeling of competition, the drive that I feel on the court. You know, I get really hard on myself a lot of the times because I expect myself to play always at the highest level, which is obviously not always possible.
“But, you know, I still have desire to compete with the young guys, you know. Otherwise I wouldn't be here playing.”
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