“I feel more ready now than I was for Wimbledon,” Novak Djokovic expressed before embarking on his Olympic campaign. The Wimbledon finalist is doing as he said and has secured his quarterfinal spot in the Games this season. The objective is clear as daylight: earning an Olympic medal for the first time. Much like all of us, Andy Roddick knows it too! But does it have to come from a singles match? The former American player has a distinct opinion on the matter.

On Tuesday’s (July 30) episode of “Served,” Roddick teamed up with Jon Wertheim, an American journalist, to talk about the hot topic of tennis—the Paris Olympics. While comparing the significance of a Grand Slam with a gold medal, Roddick shared his candid thoughts, stating, “Gold is gold is gold…There is no difference in my mind. Singles, doubles.” Drawing an example of Djokovic, who has not won a gold medal in his two-decade-long dominance in tennis, the former U.S. Open champion explained, “You know people are like Novak needs singles gold. I’m like no he just wants gold because he doesn’t have it.”

Justifying Djoker’s reason for opting out of doubles at the Olympics, Roddick stated, “He is not playing doubles because he knee is not ready. That just means he values his chances in singles more than in doubles, which is accurate. Because in doubles, anything can happen.”  Winning a gold medal is one of Nole’s “biggest dreams,” and we are all aware of it. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has come close to achieving it many times and has even qualified for the quarterfinals three times before this season! 

But it was the semifinal defeats that halted his progress time and again. In 2008, it was Rafael Nadal who ended his dream of winning a gold, leaving Djokovic with a bronze after a semifinal loss. Andy Murray and Alexander Zverev also did the same in 2012 and 2021, respectively. As a result, the 37-year-old player took an oath. 

“The goal is to break that barrier of the semifinals.” He is two steps away from achieving his goal this season. Roddick also knows how important it is for the Serbian player to achieve it, no matter what. And despite having a challenging season, the former World No. 1 is optimistic about securing the coveted Olympic gold medal!

Djokovic opens up on his ‘highest objective’ at the Olympics

“The expectations are always high, which is something that I cannot change and don’t want to,” Djokovic said earlier in a press conference. Well, the Serbinator is indeed right! Fans are eagerly waiting to see him win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinal. Moreover, a brutal loss at Wimbledon, along with the fact that he has yet to win a title in this calendar year, has added an extra layer of anticipation for fans. 

Djokovic is well aware of it but instead of putting more pressure on himself, he tries to use it as a “motivator.” “Approaching the Olympic Games is always a huge challenge for me because I put extra expectations and pressure on myself and, of course, the nation as well. The objective is always the highest one. I am hoping I can perform my best and get to the medal match,” he said earlier. 

As Roddick admitted, Djokovic is ready to give his best performance to conquer his Olympic dreams. And as he does so, we are ready to witness his outstanding display of skills at the Games once again!