Despite having a tennis resume that surpasses many players in the game, Novak Djokovic has yet to add one notable title to his trophy cabinet — the Olympic gold.
In 2008, the Serb’s best performance at the Olympics was winning the bronze medal in Sydney. Djokovic made it to the semifinals in Tokyo twelve years later, but ultimately placed fourth after losing to eventual champion Alexander Zverev. This year, the World No. 1 will have another opportunity to compete at the Olympics, as they will be held on clay at Roland Garros.
Goran Ivanisevic, the former coach of the 24-time Grand Slam champion, recently ended his partnership with the player. Despite this, he still hopes that his former protege will be able to fulfill his long-standing goal of winning the Olympics this year.
In an exclusive interview with Sport Klub, Ivanisevic expressed his strong desire for Djokovic to win the Olympics, stating that the 36-year-old also shares this yearning. He emphasized that winning the Olympics is even more important to him than winning Slams.
It is intriguing that the Croat perceives Djokovic as feeling obligated to win the Olympic gold for “someone”, despite his numerous accomplishments. This should not be the case, as he has already achieved so much.
“I believe that Novak will find motivation, I am sure of it. I wish him Olympic gold with all my heart, even more than the Slams.
“It’s something that he wants, he feels like he owes it to someone, although he doesn’t owe anyone anything… I wish for him to suceeed in the Olympics,”Ivanisevic said.
Despite their separation, Novak Djokovic will commence his Monte-Carlo Masters journey under the attentive guidance of former doubles partner and fellow Serb Nenad Zimonjic, a decision that Ivanisevic fully supports.
“I don’t know for how much longer Novak plans to keep on playing, but the perfect person is with him at the moment – Ziki (Nenad Zimonjic). He is a great friend of mine, we went through a lot together and I love him,”Ivanisevic said to Sport Klub.
“He has a vast tennis knowledge, but what is most important – he knows Novak really well. At the moment, Novak doesn’t need someone completely new, who is yet to get to know him,”he added.
“The Undisputed Dancefloor King: Novak Djokovic’s Impact on and off the Tennis Court”- Goran Ivanisevic
Despite it being the Olympic season, Novak Djokovic has not been performing at his usual dominant level. For instance, he has not won a title yet and his best performance so far was reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open. He will kick off his clay season at Monte-Carlo.
The top-ranked player in the world recently played at Indian Wells, where he suffered a surprise loss in the Round of 32 against Luca Nardi. Following this, he withdrew from the Miami Open, but will be returning to the court at Monte-Carlo along with other top players such as Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, and Sinner.
Despite his slow start, Goran Ivanisevic is not worried about the performance of the 24-time Grand Slam champion. He is confident that it will only be a matter of time before the rest of the tour will be dominated by the champion’s incredible skills.
“When Novak is the DJ, everybody dances to his tune. The sooner he takes over the DJ’s place, the sooner others will start to dance,”Ivanisevic said to Sport Klub.
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