What will the end of Novak Djokovic’s season look like? At this point, the person concerned may not know it themselves. Two things are only certain: he will play again in Shanghai, a tournament in which he has not taken part since 2019, then will make a detour to Saudi Arabia to take part in a juicy exhibition alongside Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune. For the rest, nothing is certain (even if he is part of the entry list at Bercy), the Serbian having ensured that the race at the Masters – he is currently ninth in the Race and first non-qualified – where he holds already the title record (7) mattered little to him.
The Grand Slams and the Davis Cup are now his priorities. But then why did he make the trip to Asia? “I missed Shanghai, he explained in a pre-tournament press conference. It’s been a while, five years, since I returned to one of the places where I have been happiest in my career, a country where I had great success on the tennis courts, in Beijing and Shanghai, titles won and great memories. Here in China, they are perhaps the most unique, passionate fans in the world: so dedicated to waiting for you daily and giving you lots of love and energy. It was something I was very excited to experience once again.”
11 trophies already won in China and the… 100th of his career in perspective
On Chinese soil, Djokovic has indeed carried out quite a raid in the past with no less than ten titles: four in the Masters 1000 in Shanghai (the most recent in 2018) and six in Beijing where he preferred to skip this year again for scheduling reasons (it hasn’t been there since 2015). We can even add an 11th trophy gleaned in China. In 2008, the young “Nole” triumphed for the first time in his career at the Masters which then took place in… Shanghai. No wonder then that the former world number 1 is delighted to find this country where another carrot could push him to surpass himself.
“I like playing here, I like the conditions and I have extra motivation to go for my 100th titlehe admitted. That’s all I can say for now. I try to improve daily in training. I’m playing a lot of games and practice sets because I haven’t played many tournaments lately, so I need to get back up to speed with the others. I hope I can use this freshness and my past experiences on this court to succeed in this tournament.”
Numbers and records are a powerful engine. If Jimmy Connors and his 109 titles are still a distant horizon, at least in the short term, the prospect of catching up with Roger Federer (103) in this particular area necessarily tickles the “Djoker”. Faced with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner who showed in Beijing that they were in good shape, the task promises to be difficult, but that is perhaps also why he made such a long journey.
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Hitting the ball against the Sinner and Alcaraz is an absolute pleasure
“My love for tennis will never disappearhe insisted. I have a lot of emotions when I play, and not just in matches, in training. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way, but I think my relationship with tennis is much deeper than playing a tournament or my relationship with success or failure. I fell in love with this sport when I was very young and I still love it. Even when I retire, I feel like I will stay involved in tennis in different roles because I feel like I owe a lot to this sport that has given me so much.”
At 37 years old and after having won everything, taking up the challenge against the Italian and the Spaniard who shared the Majors this year still excites the old wolf. But not only that. Because after overtaking his two historic rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, there is also more room for the simple pleasure of playing.
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“Novak Djokovic is special. It’s impressive that he still wants to make the effort physically. On the other hand, training at your age when you have won so much is an absolute pleasure. I’m not talking about gym sessions, but hitting the ball against Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedevfinally agrees Mats Wilander, consultant for Eurosport. I think that’s what I miss the most about the professional tennis player lifestyle. Not about winning or losing, but about being on the circuit and training with the best in the world on the center court of Shanghai or Roland Garros, wherever.”
Taking advantage of its major events, measuring the chance of being part of the elite of your sport, these are also strong reasons to be at the meeting in Shanghai. At this stage of his career, the “Djoker” knows that it will not be forever. So why not take advantage of it? It’s also a sign that the desire is still there, and that’s the main thing.
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