Novak Djokovic won his second round US Open match 6-7 (7/5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 against American qualifier Zachary Svajda in 2 hours and 31 minutes on Arthur Ashe stadium on Wednesday.
Djokovic admitted after his win, that he still has the desire to better himself on a daily basis.
“Yeah. There is always something to prove once you step out onto the court, which is you’re still able to win a tennis match.
“I think it is just a question of perspective. Obviously in the larger perspective of understanding of what I have been through and what I have achieved in the many years that I have played on the tour, one can always think that there is nothing more to achieve or to approve because you’ve done it all, but it’s quite
relative.
“It’s quite individual the way you see it. But in a short-term type of mindset and perspective, it’s really about trying to make the most out of that day and win a tennis match, find a way to win.”
‘Not satisfied’
Even though it appeared that Novak Djokovic was not put under a great deal of pressure – apart from the first set which he lost in tie-breaker – he was not satisfied with his level of tennis.
“So, that’s what I’ve done today. I mean, I’m not pleased with my level of tennis, but, you know, you have days like this where you’re not playing at your best, but you just kind of find a way.”
Even after all of these years, Djokovic, still has that competitive fire.
“Yeah, no, not to get too philosophical about it, but I still love the feeling of competition, the drive that I feel on the court.”
‘Sets the bar high’
Novak Djokovic still sets the bar very high for his level of performance.
“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.”
Djokovic reflected on his achievement of the career Grand Slam back in 2016.
“So, yeah, back in 2011 when I achieved my childhood dream to win Wimbledon and become No 1, I was of course deeply satisfied, but then I was only at the time 23 or something like that.
“I still have to play hopefully another, whatever, 10 years, 15 years. I still want to set new objectives, new goals.
“I’m an ambitious guy, so I thought, you know, if I won that year, 2011, three out of four slams and played semis of the French, why wouldn’t I go for it?
“So, when it was achieved in ’16, it was a huge – most of all, it was a relief for me, because I primarily put myself, I have put so much pressure on myself primarily, and then of course there is always expectations of the people around, is this the year, and it’s over and over again.
“So, when that was done, it was just the primary sensation or emotion was just a relief. Okay, I’ve done it, now I can move on and think about something else.”
Ultimate challenge
Novak Djokovic described what he perceives as the ultimate challenge in tennis.
“You know, there’s a lot of debate on what the ultimate challenge in our sport is. From my experience and my career, I would say probably the top two things would be, yeah, winning the Career Slam or Golden Slam, including the golden medal at the Olympics, and staying No 1 for many years.
“Because, you know, slams are such a big goal of every single player, and they take a lot of energy to be conquered.
“So, for you to be consistently playing well over and over again, to be a contender for No 1 in the world, that’s probably one of, if not the ultimate challenge.”
Where does Novak Djokovic rank in your opinion among tennis’ greats?
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