In a candid interview about his historic Olympic gold medal, Novak Djokovic made some interesting comments about the pressure he felt in Paris compared to the recent US Open.
The tennis great completed his CV when he won gold at the Paris Games at the beginning of August, beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final as he became the first man to win singles gold without dropping a set. He is now one of only five players to have won the career Golden Slam (all four Grand Slams and gold at the Olympics).
Djokovic had made no secret of the fact that winning the title at Roland Garros was his main priority this year and he admits there was initially additional pressure on him to perform in Paris.
“I always feel, so to say, ’general’ pressure that I always have to win – from others, but from myself as well since I am a perfectionist and I sacrifice a lot in order to play my best when it matters the most. The Olympics were my main goal,” he stated on Serbia’s RTS [translated by Tennis Majors].
“I was very worried after the knee injury at Roland Garros, but when I managed to play the finals at Wimbledon, I was relieved since I knew I would be ready for the Olympics.”
After injuring his knee during the fourth round of the French Open, Djokovic withdrew from the tournament as he underwent surgery and there were initially doubts over his participation at Wimbledon and Paris 2024.
However, he came through unscathed at Wimbledon as he finished runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz before beating the same player in Paris to win gold.
Yet he admits the pressure he felt at the Olympics was much lower when compared to the US Open where he was stunned in the third round by Alexei Popyrin, saying he wasn’t well prepared at Flushing Meadows.
Djokovic added: “On the other hand, there is what I like to call ’additional’ pressure, which depends on the form. Ahead of the finals in Paris, I hadn’t lost a set, I’ve beaten Nadal at his home – although he was not at his best, but still, beating him in Paris is something huge.
“I felt the energy and support from home as well, so that ‘additional pressure’ was lower than usual.
“In New York, for instance, I felt that it wasn’t me on the court, that I was not well prepared, so I felt more additional pressure ahead of every match compared to before the finals at the Olympics. Just because of the way I felt. Tennis is an individual sport – if you don’t have a solution on a given day, that’s it, you lose. Over the years, that kept me disciplined.”
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