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Novak Djokovic - US Open 2024

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Novak Djokovic: I am not chasing the ATP Finals

Matthew Johns
Matthew Johns
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Novak Djokovic has spoken about his goals for the remainder of the 2024 season, with the Serbian claiming that everything other than Grand Slams and representing his nation ‘is less important’.Djokovic made his return to action yesterday in the Davis Cup, beating World No.770 Ioannis Xilas 6-0 6-1, with Serbia taking on a weakened Greek lineup without
Stefanos Tsitsipas in their Group I tie. This was Djokovic’s first match since his surprise third round defeat at the US Open, with the 37-year-old speaking about how the Davis Cup helps increase his motivation in the latter stages of his career. “Weeks like these represent another motivation, they inspire me to keep going, they awake those butterflies in my belly,” explained Djokovic. “I thought that I would never have to seek motivation anywhere, it all used to come naturally – automatically – but that has not been the case in the last few years. In order to prolong my career, I need to enjoy, I need to choose wisely tournaments I am going to play.”
Djokovic is currently scheduled to play an exhibition match against Grigor Dimitrov in Sofia next week, before playing the Shanghai Masters for the first time in five years. However, it does not appear that Djokovic has much plan for his schedule after that, “After that, I am going to see what am I going to do. Usually in my career I used to have my schedule ready six months in advance, but nowadays that’s not the case, now it’s more spontaneous.” He continued, “Firstly, I need to physically, emotionally and mentally rest in order to even start thinking what I want to do next, in what way, how much and where.” Usually Djokovic has his eyes on qualifying for the
ATP Finals, where the top eight players from the year go head-to-head in Turin in November. And despite winning a record seven titles at the event, including last year, Djokovic has confirmed that the ATP Finals are not a goal of his anymore. “Torino is not my goal at all, to be honest, I am not chasing ATP Finals, I am not chasing the rankings etc,” revealed Djokovic. “As far as I am concerned, I am done with those tournaments for my career. “Whether I will play other tournaments this year or in the future, I can’t say right now. My main priorities are playing for the national team and Slams, everything else is less important.” Djokovic currently sits ninth in the race to the ATP Finals, 45 points behind eighth placed Alex de Minaur. The 24-time Grand Slam champion is set to play again at the Davis Cup in Belgrade today against Aristotelis Thanos, as Serbia look to finish the job over Greece.
Inside the baseline…It is of no secret that Grand Slams are the priority for Novak Djokovic, but it is somewhat surprising that he has almost written off the ATP Finals, which are arguably the fifth most important annual tournament for top players. However, it is not surprising that Djokovic wanted to represent Serbia at the Davis Cup, even though it is a lower level of the tournament, and that will probably be heightened after he won that elusive Olympic gold medal for his nation last month.
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