In an interview with RTS, Novak Djokovic reiterated how the victory of the much-dreamed-of gold medal at the Paris Olympics is the most important of his career.
ADVERTISEMENT
Before the sweet taste of victory, there were two defeats in the semifinals in Beijing 2008 and London 2012 against Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, then the bad defeat with his friend Juan Martin del Potro in Rio de Janeiro 2016 and the surprising comeback suffered against Alexander Zverev in Tokyo 2020: but the happy ending came, for Nole, in Paris 2024.
"The main reason is the fact that I had the opportunity to represent Serbia again in a world sporting event, the most important. The other reason is my Olympic career: I lost to Nadal in the semifinal in Beijing, then two more semifinals and the battles for third place. These were among the hardest defeats of my career. The Olympics are held only every four years. I arrived at this edition without having won even one title in the season, I had knee surgery, I am 37 years old and I managed to beat an opponent who had just defeated me in Wimbledon. All this makes it special. The greatest emotion of my career, it's hard to describe in words," he explained.
ADVERTISEMENT
History had always told how the Serbwas always in extreme difficulty at the Olympics. And, instead, at the age of 37 and after surgery on the meniscus of his right knee, the Serbian champion managed to realize his greatest dream, playing a legendary final and winning the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
"The Olympics were my main goal. I was very worried after the knee injury I suffered at Roland Garros, but when I managed to play the final at Wimbledon, I felt relieved because I knew I would be ready for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Tennis is not the classic Olympic sport compared to other disciplines. I have always followed the Olympics, especially our Serbian athletes, but I really started to feel their importance and weight after participating for the first time. I will remember this for the rest of my life," analyzed the Serbian champion.
ADVERTISEMENT
