‘I’m not 20 anymore’- Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic, who recently parted ways with Andre Agassi, was defeated by Dominic Thiem in three sets at the Monte Carlo Open earlier today. Djokovic has been struggling to return to his old self, since his elbow injury. He showcased a dominant performance against rising talent, Borna Coric in his first round. However, he fell short of the mark against Dominic Thiem, who himself was returning from an injury hiatus.

While Djokovic realizes that he is in his final years on the tour, he is still optimistic about his chances of winning a slam. “I wouldn’t be sitting here in front of you and competing in this tournament if I didn’t believe that I can do that (win grand slams), if my intentions are not like that”, said Djokovic. “I definitely want to(win slams). I always wanted to. Being in that position already and having achieved so much just gives me enough reason to believe I can make it again.”

“I know that I’m not 20 any more. It’s different now. But I still feel like I have a lot of juice in my legs and I can play really well and compete”, he added.

Djokovic also spoke about the era of the big four, which looks like it is coming to an end, saying that it had to happen some day or the other. “There is a new generation of players coming up. I played against one of them today. It’s great for tennis. Eventually it had to come. We talked about it for so many years, the big four, whether anyone else will win a slam or not. I mean, eventually it’s going to come”, said the Serbian.

The former world number one, will look to build his confidence during the clay court tournaments leading up-to the French open, as he gears up to play in Madrid next.