Djokovic: “I felt more pressure in New York compared to before the Olympics final”

“The biggest reason is the fact that I had the chance to represent Serbia once again in a global, most important sporting event. The other reason is my Olympic career – I lost to Nadal in a close semifinals in Beijing, then I lost two more semis at the Olympics, lost the third-place battles too – these were among the toughest losses of my career“, said Djokovic before adding:

“Olympics only happen every four years. I went into this Olympics without winning a title previously this season, I had knee surgery, I am 37 years old, I’ve beaten an opponent that has just beaten me at Wimbledon… All of this makes it so special. The greatest set of emotions in my career, it’s hard to describe it with words”.

Wimbledon helped Djokovic for the Olympics

Djokovic spoke about the different kinds of pressure he faces and he surprised many with his answer.

“I always feel, so to say, ’general’ pressure that I always have to win – from others, but from myself as well since I am a perfectionist and I sacrifice a lot in order to play my best when it matters the most. The Olympics were my main goal. I was very worried after the knee injury at Roland-Garros, but when I managed to play the finals at Wimbledon, I was relieved since I knew I would be ready for the Olympics”, explained Djokovic before elaborating:

“On the other hand, there is what I like to call ’additional’ pressure, which depends on the form. Ahead of the finals in Paris, I haven’t lost a set, I’ve beaten Nadal at his home – although he was not at his best, but still, beating him in Paris is something huge…”

“I felt the energy and support from home as well, so that ’additional pressure’ was lower than usual. In New York, for instance, I felt that it wasn’t me on the court, that I was not well-prepared, so I felt more additional pressure ahead of every match compared to before the finals at the Olympics. Just because of the way I felt. Tennis is an individual sport – if you don’t have a solution on a given day, that’s it, you lose. Over the years, that kept me disciplined”.

As a kid, Djokovic dreamt about winning Wimbledon and being number one in the world, but…

“Tennis is not a ’classic’ olympic sport, compared to some other sports. I always followed the Olympics, our (Serbian) athletes in particular, but I really started to feel the importance and the weight of it after I played my first Olympics and after I experienced the Olympic village for the first time. I was in the village the whole time at my first Olympics, then I’ve spent half of the time in the village and half of the time outside in my next Olympics. This time around, I decided to stay outside the village to stay focused on my routines, to keep my peace”.

I will remember that for the rest of my life

Novak Djokovic

Following his win over Alcaraz, Serbian athletes welcomed Novak in the village and celebrated with him.

“I will remember that for the rest of my life. So much support, so much respect, I told them I owe them for life. Even athletes that had competition the next morning were dancing, opening champagne and whatnot”.

Waterpolo team of Serbia, which won the Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, struggled a lot and barely made it to the quarterfinals. Ahead of the quarterfinal match with Greece, Djokovic served as an inspiration, per words of many Serbian players that spoke after winning another gold.

“It wasn’t planned at all. What was said remains between us, but they had a team meeting – they weren’t in a good mood, understandable, they started to doubt… I spoke about how I understand how they feel, that pressure of having to win always… I shared my experiences more than anything, after the coach and everyone from the Serbian mission asked me to. Us athletes always have a lot in common, there are always many things that we can talk about. I don’t like to give out advice, I like to share my experiences and then if someone finds it useful, the better. Don’t give me credit for their gold medal, they did it themselves”.

Djokovic spoke about the support from his parents, from his “tennis mother” Jelena Genčić, his “tennis father” Nikola Pilić – and the first big prize came in Melbourne in 2008, where he won his first Grand Slam title.

“That is when I started to believe I could win Slams in the era of Federer and Nadal. It was followed by a period of three years losing to them in later stages of the Slams. These losses made me systematically approach my body and my game, together with my team. Winning Davis Cup 2010 was a huge boost and I started to beat them more regularly starting with 2011. I love the Australian summer – speed court, the stadium – especially night matches – big Serbian community… Also, it’s right at the start of the season, I always wanted to use Melbourne as a springboard for the rest of the season. As the titles started to pile, the confidence grew”.

Nadal, “the mountain to climb” for Djokovic

Asked is there any other reason, apart from the dominance of Rafael Nadal, why he wasn’t able to win Roland-Garros sooner, Djokovic answered:

“Probably not, to be completely honest”, Novak said laughingly, “For me, but for Federer as well. Nadal was unbeatable there for a long time, he lost only a few times at Phillipe-Chatrier stadium (112-4 record at Roland Garros, two of the losses coming against Djokovic). Every time you walk on that court there with him, he is the favorite. Even at the Olympics, he had injury trouble, I was in better form, but still, you know it’s the highest mountain to climb. He is the biggest, perhaps the only reason why I don’t have more Roland-Garros titles, but I say – every win against him there is worth double”.

Djokovic won Wimbledon seven times and US Open four times.  

“In 2011 I won my first titles at Wimbledon and US Open. First title is always extra special, I’ve beaten my greatest rival Nadal in the final. In New York, I would single out the win in 2015 over Federer in the final. He perhaps played as great as he ever played on hardcourts, he was very aggressive and focused, the crowd was totally on his side… I managed to stay calm and focused and win somehow. That’s probably my most significant trophy in New York, along with the first one”.