Novak Djokovic was the protagonist of the World Sports Summit in Dubai. The former world number 1, alongside the event, spoke with journalists and answered numerous questions which, as always, ranged from the present to the future. The winner of 24 Grand Slam titles is preparing for a new season in which he will hunt for success number 25. It won’t be easy but, as is well known, never bet against the Belgrade native.
Nole, obviously, did not even shy away from questions regarding a possible short-term retirement: “I want to continue. I said until the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games to identify a target, a comet, but honestly there is no limit. I just want to continue. I love hitting the tennis ball and competing. That’s what I was telling the football greats before, it’s really about passion and love. As long as you feel you can play at a high level and your body can handle it, why not continue”?
The Serbian tennis player goes into the specifics of the topic, also expanding it to the two dominators of world tennis of this era: “People love to talk and speculate about retirement, but I feel like I can still contribute through my career to the growth of tennis. There are so many changes I want to be a part of. I’m fine, I’m number four in the world, it’s not bad. Many young tennis players arrive. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are starting the new great rivalry. I like watching the new generations and still being here.”
Last line on the sacrifices he had to make to reach the level we all know: “Dedication, passion and love. No one in my family or my country played tennis. Obviously there were some very good tennis players in Serbia, but no one had ever reached such a high level. Tennis came as a sign of destiny to me. I fell in love with the sport. It was very expensive and I missed many important Junior tournaments when I was little because I couldn’t afford to travel. I had to overcome many obstacles to make my dream come true. I thank my parents for allowing me to chase that dream.”
