Grand Slam hunt: Novak Djokovic has a two-step plan
Novak Djokovic recently suffered a setback in his hunt for most of the Grand Slam titles in men's tennis. The plan to chase the record is still there.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Oct 13, 2020, 01:12 pm
It had started wonderfully for Novak Djokovic, the year 2020, with the contested five-set victory in the Australian Open final over Dominic Thiem. For Djokovic this meant his 17th Grand Slam title in pursuit of Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (then 19, now also 20).
Especially since the "Djoker" was the clear favorite in the US Open, even without direct competition (Federer and Nadal were not there). But then came: a carelessly knocked away ball and a disqualification - and in Paris now an opponent in the final with Rafael Nadal , who even arctic temperatures and balls made of lead would not have stopped on Sunday.
However, this did not diminish the optimism of the world number one. Was it too late now? If that were the case, he would have ended his career today, said Djokovic. But as long as he still has energy in his legs and a love for the sport, he will keep going. "I developed a thick skin there," explained the 33-year-old.
He himself, Nadal and above all Federer have been written off again and again, people have retired. "But we keep coming back and proving that we are the best in the world, despite all the pressure."
Djokovic: First the number 1 weeks, then the Grand Slam record
Accordingly, his goals have remained the same: namely, to win the historic time as number 1 and the most Grand Slam titles.
In terms of number 1, Djokovic (290 weeks) is now only 20 weeks behind Federer (310 weeks) and could replace him on March 8, 2021 . Especially since he has added a "new" tournament for collecting points to his schedule with the ATP tournament in Vienna .
"When I have achieved the former, which I hope to achieve in the coming year, my focus will be even more on the Grand Slam tournaments in terms of approach, energy and schedule," said Djokovic.
So it is quite possible that the Serb will reduce his tournament participation from next year in order to throw himself completely fit on the majors.