At this stage of his career, Novak Djokovic doesn’t face many fresh experiences on the court, but celebrating the start of the year in Perth’s RAC Arena with his fellow countrymen amid hundreds of dedicated fans is a pleasant surprise.
At the United Cup, the 36-year-old showed no signs of rust in his brilliant straight-sets victory over China’s big-striking Zhang Zhizhen. He then led the way home with Olga Danilovic in a decisive mixed doubles match with just seven minutes remaining before midnight.
“It’s a great start of the season. Wonderful way to celebrate New Year’s. We have a saying in Serbia: if the entire year is going to be as kind as the sunrise or the first minute of the new year, then I think we’re going to have a great season and great year, all of us,” Djokovic was quoted as saying by ATP. The Serbian player only ventured to rank it as one of his finest, despite having advanced to every major final and won three of them in the previous year.
“Might seem unrealistic or impossible to some. It might seem arrogant to some others. I don’t know. I’ve always believed in myself very strongly. I know that I’m a very all-around player. When I’m fit, when I’m at the peak of my performance, I can win any Slam or any tournament. I know that. I’m not afraid to say that,” the 24-time major champion said.
“It’s not a secret that I want to break more records and make more history of the game. That’s something that keeps on motivating me,” he added.
Teammate Danilovic announced that after competing and winning a match with her country’s best athlete, she had crossed something off her bucket list. Naturally, talk turned to Djokovic’s intentions for the upcoming campaign. “Obviously Grand Slams, Olympic Games, playing for my country, Davis Cup, all these competitions where you represent Serbia is the greatest honour and pleasure,” said Djokovic.
“It’s a very long year, season. I’ll have to obviously work in a way step by step with my body to see how it feels, how I react when I change surfaces, what kind of schedule I need to have in order to peak at the right time in the biggest tournaments,” the record seventh ATP Finals title winner said.
After leading Serbia through the United Cup, Djokovic will go to Melbourne to try to capture an unprecedented 11th Australian Open championship.
“I feel like that kind of mentality, all I have been doing for the last 20-plus years on a daily basis, of course with my team and family, have helped me to reach the heights and be where I am. That mentality is not changing for 2024 or any next year potentially that I play,” Djokovic said.
