Winning titles is a family affair for Novak Djokovic! At least the ‘winning’ part of it is something that equally excites him and his children. But what happens when you lose something you worked extremely hard for? Well, it gets scary. The Serb, who won the elusive gold at the Paris Olympics this season, has arrived in New York for his next adventure. Upon his arrival, Nole touched down on an incident that gave him a jump scare.

While talking to ‘Forbes’, the Serb indulged the outlet with a recent mishap. Hoping to carry his gold medal with him to the US Open, Djokovic realized his children had unfortunately misplaced his most prized possession. He searched for it everywhere but later came to terms that his two children hid it, forcing him to travel without the gold. “I forgot it because my kids hid it somewhere. So, then I was panicking because I had to take it,” he said. However, he was relieved a day later.

After amusingly troubling their dad, the family found the medal. Though the Serb had already flown to Flushing Meadows by then, they sent his chattel via Djokovic’s physiotherapist who traveled to the venue a day after. Moreover, Nole had a good reason to feel anxious.

The ‘Serbinator’ was due to showcase his gold medal at the Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day. Thankfully, he was able to do justice to his commitments after making a head-turning appearance at the much-anticipated event on August 25.

Having furnished himself with every accolade there is, all of Djokovic’s dreams have come to life. While most believe this can thwart his motivation to continue dominating, they need a revision. The Serb has published a stern warning to his competitors ahead of the hardcourt Slam.

Novak Djokovic is fueled with “competitive spirit” to defend his US Open title

Djokovic was electrified to clinch his maiden Olympic medal in Paris. And now, there is no doubt that he is gunning for a successful title defense in New York. The No. 2 seed is slated to commence his campaign on the back of his laudable achievement. Talking in a pre-tournament presser, Nole reserved a few words for his contestants while expressing his desire to continue ‘making more history.’

“I still feel the drive, the competitive spirit. Still want to make more history and enjoy myself on the Tour. I still hope to inspire many young people to watch tennis, play tennis. Those are some of the reasons why I still keep on going. Grand Slams are the pillars of our sport. They are the most important historical tennis events that we have. So if you don’t get pumped and inspired to play your best tennis at Grand Slams, it’s hard to do that anywhere else,” he said.

The Serb kicked off his New York run on Tuesday, August 27. Nole, who won against Radu Albot in the event’s opener, will aim to dig deep, wherein he will face formidable challenges from his rivals in the Slam’s later stages. The most damning of which can come at the hands of Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard will be seeking to exact revenge on the No. 2 seed for depriving him of the elusive gold at the quadrennial event.