Djokovic reveals how he was able to stay in such a great physical state at 37.
On Monday, Djokovic kicked off his 18th US Open campaign with a 6-2 6-2 6-4 win over former world No. 39 Radu Albot.
Early in the first set, Albot led 2-1 before Djokovic won the next five games to win the opener in style before also breaking the Moldovan three times in the following set to go up by two sets. In the third set, Albot was the most competitive but the Serb still routinely closed out the match in straight sets as one break of serve in the seventh game was enough for the defending champion.
Afterward, Djokovic was interviewed on the court by 44-year-old James Blake – who retired from pro tennis exactly 11 years ago at the US Open. And former world No. 4 Blake acknowledged Djokovic still having an outstanding physical ability and wanted to know how he was able to remain young in his late thirties.
“There’s not one word or secret that would describe it all. It’s just a way of life. Way to approach my tennis career. I was fortunate very early on in my life to be surrounded by knowledgeable and passionate people who were kind enough to share their guidance with me for years and they taught me very early on that prevention equals longevity. Stretching. Warm-up. Everything I do early on in my life will come back to me later in my career,” Djokovic explained to Blake.
“The body is one part. The mentality and emotional, mental aspect is something on the other side. You’ve got to find the optimal balance between the two. I’m still enjoying myself to compete. I’m very self critical on the court. I get frustrated at times. At the end of the day, this sport gave me so much. Me continuing to play and giving 100% every time I step on the court is paying back to this wonderful sport.”
Djokovic again deals with the same question
For years, Djokovic has been openly talking about his desire to get an Olympic gold medal. And earlier this month, he was able to pull it off and now his complete is full without a single thing lacking.
But the day Djokovic won the Paris Olympics, some started talking about how achieving that goal may lead to the world No. 2 losing his motivation and determination for sport. After arriving at Flushing Meadows, Djokovic provided a lengthy answer on why he believes that won’t be the case.
© YouTube screenshot“You know, people would ask me, you know, now that you have basically won everything with the golden medal, what else is there to win? I still feel the drive. You know, I still have the competitive spirit. I still want to make more history and enjoy myself on the tour. I still hope to inspire many young people to watch tennis, play tennis,” Djokovic previously said in his pre-tournament press conference.
“Those are some of the reasons why I still keep on going. Grand Slams are the pillars of our sport. They are the most important historical tennis events that we have. So if you don’t get pumped and inspired to play your best tennis at Grand Slams, it’s hard to do that anywhere else.
“US Open is a slam that holds the biggest tennis court in the world, tennis stadium. You know, night sessions at US Open are very famous, most famous in our sport. I’m going to play my first match here Monday night, so I can’t wait to be under the lights. The noise, the energy of the stadium is just different from anything else.”
Djokovic can make more history at the US Open
Last year, Djokovic became the first-ever man with 24 Grand Slams after beating Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final. Since Djokovic hasn’t had any Slam wins since, he could make history at Flushing Meadows in back-to-back years if he wins the US Open and becomes the first player in tennis history male or female with 25 Majors in singles.
Meanwhile, Djokovic is set to play against fellow Serb Laslo Djere for a place in the US Open third round. What’s interesting about this match is that they also played last year – and world No. 109 Djere was close to upsetting Djokovic – before the former world No. 1 stormed back to win 4-6 4-6 6-1 6-1 6-3 their third-round matchup.
This time, there is no doubt that Djokovic will look to avoid any drama and get the job done more routinely.
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