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Novak Djokovic says he will return to play at the Australian Open as long as he can “perform at the highest level and be one of the candidates to win the Slam”.
Djokovic’s win over Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday earned him his 10th Australian Open title and moved him level with Rafael Nadal at the top of the men’s standings on 22 Grand Slam titles with all the way to the French Open in the spring.
A victorious Djokovic paraded the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup around the gardens of Melbourne’s Government House, adding another notch to the plus column for those who argue he is the greatest in the GOAT debate.
“I think the result is enough for me, how I feel in Australia, how I have played here for the last 15 years,” Djokovic said.
“It was actually exactly 15 years ago when I won my first Grand Slam in Melbourne.
“I will keep coming back if I feel I can perform at the highest level and be one of the candidates to win the Slam.”
Djokovic celebrates with his team including his mother, Dijana (second left) and his coach Goran Ivanisevic
Despite a hamstring injury that made him fear the odds, Djokovic dropped just one set at Melbourne Park and felt he was playing his best tennis.
At 35 years old, he shows no signs of slowing down and is back at number 1 in the world rankings, after defeating Carlos Alcaraz.
“I’m as fierce a competitor as anyone out there,” Djokovic said. “Whether it’s a Grand Slam or any event category in the world, I give my best. I don’t like to lose, I do everything I can to win every match I play and I still have that fire. I’m burning for sport, and for competition.
“This is what allows me to keep pushing my limits in training sessions, every day after so many years.
“To go through the same routine repetitively is sometimes not interesting, but I know there is always a better goal. A guiding star, so to speak, and this trophy is one of the guiding stars. It is always something that I strive to achieve.”
I have to stay strong and not let external factors or distractions disturb me on the way to the title and of course, after last year’s events, coming back to Australia, I am curious and more nervous to come to Australia than usual. You know, how people will receive me, what reception will I get in-and-off court. Overall, it was a very positive experience and I am very grateful.
How many Grand Slams can Djokovic win?
The Serbian returned to world No. 1 with victory in Melbourne
Asked how long he thought Djokovic could challenge for a major title, his coach Goran Ivanisevic said: “Definitely two, three more years. The way he takes care of himself, the way he approaches everything, the food, it’s amazing. It’s unbelievable. level.”
Former Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic described the 22-22 draw as “like a handball match”, and he expects Djokovic and Nadal to fend off the likes of Tsitsipas, Alcaraz and other young pretenders in Paris.
“Talking about the young guys, they’re here, it’s good for tennis, it’s good for the future of tennis,” he said. “But you still have these two guys fighting. This is Novak’s front court and now we’re going to Rafa’s front court.
“Yes, he will come – Alcaraz, it’s unbelievable. However, if Rafa enters the court at the French Open, for me he will be the favorite to win the tournament.
“I said eight or nine years ago that Novak and Rafa would pass Roger (Federer). People looked at me as strange. But we have 22-22. Two unbelievable competitors, two unbelievable tennis players, what he did for tennis.
“I hope, honestly, for both sides to be super healthy, then the fight there. And with the young man who wants to try to find a back door to sneak in and try to do something. But still these two. men, they will have words the last thing to say there.”
What happens next?
Djokovic (left) and Rafael Nadal could face a direct battle for supremacy at Roland Garros
In the best case scenario, Nadal could return for the next big tournament in Indian Wells and Miami in March, but could choose to stay off the match court until the clay is favored. With the pair locked at 22 Grand Slams each, it creates a tasty prospect for a head-to-head battle for outright supremacy at the French Open, starting on May 28.
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