It was just about six weeks ago, early June, that Novak Djokovic withdrew from Roland-Garros ahead of his quarter-final match with a worrying announcement: The tennis legend had suffered a torn meniscus in his knee.
But while question marks swirled around the Serbian star in the days after he left Paris, Djokovic tapped into the mentality that has made him one of the greatest the sport has ever seen, opting for an immediate surgery, and setting about readying for a summer that still included Wimbledon and the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
What came in London was the product of that singular focus the 37-year-old has shown time and again throughout his career, winning five matches (at the loss of just two sets) and facing Carlos Alcaraz in the final at the All England Club for a second consecutive year, where he fell short against the world No.1.
But Novak is back – and the next focus is the Olympics.
“I still have intentions to play Olympic Games [and] hopefully have a chance to fight for a medal for my country,” Djokovic told reporters after his 6-2 6-2 7-6(4) loss to Alcaraz on Centre court.
“[The Olympics are] on a completely different surface obviously [and I’m] going back to the place where I got injured some weeks ago. Let’s see.”
It’s also a stage where Djokovic, stunningly, has never reigned supreme. In his four previous Olympic appearances, Djokovic has claimed a medal once: Singles bronze at Beijing 2008; with heartbreak meeting him in different forms at his next three Games.
Is this the Olympics where Novak Djokovic claims gold?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I NEED TO RAISE MY LEVEL TO BEAT ALCARAZ, SINNER
It is a tendency for those on the outside (this writer, included) to focus in on what an athlete hasn’t accomplished when they have accomplished so much, Djokovic being a chief case in point.
But that is never the way Djokovic has approached the court, even if he’s well aware of and has stated a yearning for Olympic gold. He put it simply after his Wimbledon loss: “Let’s keep it going,” he said. “Because I still keep going.”
What the Djokovic camp is now focused on is levelling up: His straight-set loss to Alcaraz set off alarm bells internally as he feels like he’s not on an even playing field with the Spaniard – and he adds Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner to that category.
“Being able to reach the finals of Wimbledon, of course, it’s a great confidence boost,” Djokovic said. “But I also feel like in a matchup today against the best players right now in the world for sure – I mean, other than Jannik, both of them are the best this year by far – I feel like I’m not at that level.
“In order to really have a chance to beat these guys in Grand Slam latter stages or the Olympics, I’m going to have to play much better than I did today and feel much better than I did today.”
Djokovic said that he felt out-played by Alcaraz in every category, but the veteran can use his experience at this unique juncture in the 2024 calendar: Olympic tennis hasn’t been held on clay since Barcelona 1992, and it’s a switch that will challenge every player who sets foot on Stade Roland-Garros just two weeks after the completion of Wimbledon – famously held on grass.
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‘NORMALLY I RISE AND I LEARN AND GET STRONGER’
It was late in the third set in the Wimbledon final that Djokovic threatened Alcaraz the most, fending off a fist full of championship points and sending the set into a tie-break.
While Djokovic couldn’t send the match into a fourth set, he should take solace in that fact, as well as from his convincing wins over young guns Holger Rune and Lorenzo Musetti en route to the final.
“The Olympic Games and U.S. Open are the two big goals for the rest of the year for me,” Djokovic said. “I’m hoping I can be at my best at those two tournaments. That’s all I can say right now.”
Djokovic, Serbia’s flag bearer at London 2012, can also look to the Olympic format if he has doubts around his body: Matches are contested out of the best of three sets instead of the best-of-five format at the majors for the men.
Three years ago, Djokovic was two wins away from the gold only to falter – at two hurdles. After a semi-final loss to eventual champion Alexander Zverev, he lost the bronze medal tilt to Pablo Carreño Busta of Spain.
That came after a first-round shock loss to Juan Martin Del Potro at Rio 2016, the same player who had beaten him for bronze in London (where he lost to Andy Murray in the semis).
That aforementioned levelling up is what consumes Djokovic now in the coming days into Paris. Where, he hopes, he can do something he’s never done before: Claim gold.
“I’m going to work on it,” he said of his level. “It’s not something I haven’t experienced before ever in my life. I’ve had so many different experiences throughout my career. In the face of adversity, normally I rise and I learn and get stronger.
“That’s what I’m going to do.”
BEIJING: Rafael Nadal (C) of Spain celebrates winning the gold medal with silver medalist Fernando Gonzalez (L) of Chile and bronze medalist Novak Djokovic of Serbia after the men’s singles gold medal tennis match held at the Olympic Green Tennis Center during Day 9 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 17, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
