Novak Djokovic has once again given himself an opportunity to win a Grand Slam.
At the age of 38 and with multiple records to his name, there is little left for the Serbian to achieve in professional tennis.
But his passion for the sport still burns bright and he is pursuing a 25th Grand Slam, which would break the tie with Margaret Court and set a new record.
He has a chance to make his dream a reality at the ongoing Wimbledon Championships, where he has reached the semi-finals.
Djokovic will take on Jannik Sinner, who is currently his toughest opponent having lost his last four meetings to the Italian.
Novak Djokovic says he ‘could have played better’ in his last match against Jannik Sinner
Novak Djokovic is preparing to face Sinner for the 10th time on the ATP Tour. It has been tough for the Serbian against the world number one of late, who has lost five of his last six matches to the 23-year-old.
From those five matches Djokovic has claimed just two sets and he has struggled to find a way to break Sinner down.
This was illustrated during their most recent encounter, at the French Open. Sinner was pushed but ultimately claimed a 6-4 7-5 7-6(3) victory to advance to the championship match.
A month later and Djokovic has a chance to play Sinner at Wimbledon again, a tournament where the sixth seed has two wins against the three-time Grand Slam champion.
Ahead of Friday’s semi-final, Djokovic reflected on his Roland Garros encounter with Sinner and what he will have to improve in Friday’s Wimbledon semi-final.
“I think I played a solid match. I could have played better, but [Jannik] was just a better player when the moments were important,” Djokovic said after reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals.
“I get another opportunity. For me, this is what actually counts the most, being in the last stages of Grand Slams and playing against the best player in the world right now.
“I couldn’t ask for a bigger challenge for myself. I look forward to it. I’ll do my best to get ready and perform my best there.”
Novak Djokovic admits getting ‘tired’ of preparing his body to play the highest level
Djokovic has been playing professional tennis for two decades against the very best in the game. He has been under immense pressure and produced a consistently high level for a sustained period of time.
Now into his late thirties Djokovic is still one of the biggest threats on tour, but opened up on what it takes to get his body ready for matches, which he is finding more difficult to do.
“I’m very satisfied as a 38-year-old to be able to move the way I’m moving right now and playing,” he said. “I have about 10 people in my team working daily on every single aspect of my on-court, off-court career and preparation and recovery.
“Sometimes I get tired of all the chores that I have to do on a daily basis to get my body ready to be able to perform.
“It’s a lot of hours, a lot of hours spent off the court, in the gym, or on the table just trying to work with what I have.”
