Novak Djokovic expressed his ambition to set new records while he still has the chance.
The current World No. 1 got the better of Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 in the final of the 2023 Paris Masters on Sunday, November 5. The Serb had to labor past his previous opponents – Tallon Griekspoor in the Round of 16, defending champion Holger Rune in the quarterfinals, and Andrey Rublev in the semifinals – to secure his spot in the final in Bercy.
In a press conference following his win over the Bulgarian at the 2023 Paris Masters, Djokovic said he felt motivated to break every possible record in sight.
“I am going for every possible record, every record I can achieve. I never had any problem saying that; that’s why people don’t like me. I do not pretend like some do, to say that I want to achieve something and then behave differently afterwards,” he said.
With the victory against Dimitrov, Djokovic not only won his seventh Paris Masters title but also secured a whopping 97th career title. The 24-time Grand Slam winner now needs to win just one round-robin match in Turin to guarantee the year-end World No. 1 ranking for a record eighth time.Djokovic’s words set tennis fans’ minds racing, as they jumped to conclusions about the Serb’s seemingly veiled reference to Nadal. The Spaniard has famously said several times in his career that he doesn’t chase records.
One fan wrote on X that Djokovic’s comments were a ‘slap in the face’ to Nadal.
“Slap in the face to Nadal, but like a gentleman,” they wrote.
https://twitter.com/DjokovicFan_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1721336855637942594%7Ctwgr%5E1e6f4fbbb766229746a99898a79aa906c9dda185%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportskeeda.com%2Ftennis%2Fnews-slap-face-rafael-nadal-like-gentleman-fans-amused-novak-djokovic-s-seeming-jibe-admitting-targeting-every-record
Another fan commended the Serb for achieving so much during his career.
“He doesn’t know how crazy it is that he’s achieved it in an era where his 2 greatest rivals were fedal who are arguably the #2&3 male players of alltime behind him,” they wrote.
https://twitter.com/DjokovicFan_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1721379646489362866%7Ctwgr%5E1e6f4fbbb766229746a99898a79aa906c9dda185%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportskeeda.com%2Ftennis%2Fnews-slap-face-rafael-nadal-like-gentleman-fans-amused-novak-djokovic-s-seeming-jibe-admitting-targeting-every-record
Another user enjoyed the fact that the World No. 1 was not holding back.
“Well said nole love the fact that Novak isn’t holding back..Giant,” they wrote.
https://twitter.com/DjokovicFan_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1721276433828401328%7Ctwgr%5E1e6f4fbbb766229746a99898a79aa906c9dda185%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportskeeda.com%2Ftennis%2Fnews-slap-face-rafael-nadal-like-gentleman-fans-amused-novak-djokovic-s-seeming-jibe-admitting-targeting-every-record
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
https://twitter.com/DjokovicFan_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1721277922584215765%7Ctwgr%5E1e6f4fbbb766229746a99898a79aa906c9dda185%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportskeeda.com%2Ftennis%2Fnews-slap-face-rafael-nadal-like-gentleman-fans-amused-novak-djokovic-s-seeming-jibe-admitting-targeting-every-record
https://twitter.com/DjokovicFan_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1721262112289509754%7Ctwgr%5E1e6f4fbbb766229746a99898a79aa906c9dda185%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportskeeda.com%2Ftennis%2Fnews-slap-face-rafael-nadal-like-gentleman-fans-amused-novak-djokovic-s-seeming-jibe-admitting-targeting-every-record
https://twitter.com/DjokovicFan_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1721265758775267515%7Ctwgr%5E1e6f4fbbb766229746a99898a79aa906c9dda185%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportskeeda.com%2Ftennis%2Fnews-slap-face-rafael-nadal-like-gentleman-fans-amused-novak-djokovic-s-seeming-jibe-admitting-targeting-every-record
“My goal is to end the season on a high note” – Novak Djokovic
The 36-year-old made it clear in his latest Paris Masters press conference that he was aiming to end the year on a strong note.
“My goal is to end up the season on the high note, on the highest note possible. The players that are not fighting for the World Tour Finals like Grigor, they have more motivation to end up this last tournament of the season on a high note, but you also have players who are very tired, and there are also players who are fighting who have a ticket for Turin,” he said.
Djokovic added that he taps into the energy of the crowd to bring his A-game on the courts of Paris, be it Bercy or Roland Garros.
“So I’m one of the players who are very motivated to end up the season on a high note. With all of the emotion and the energy from the public this week in Paris, every day I find the motivation to play my best tennis in Paris, in Roland Garros or here in Bercy,” he stated.
