Novak Djokovic will set his sights on one major prize over the course of 2024, as he looks to complete his collection of titles in tennis.
That’s the verdict of respected commentator Nick Lester, who believes the Serbian icon will train his thoughts on winning a gold medal at the Paris Olympics to tick the last box on his list of achievements.
Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray are among the modern day greats that have the gold medal Djokovic has failed to collect, with Lester telling Tennis365 that Djokovic will be striving to join them on the top step of the Olympic podium in a tennis event that will be staged at Roland Garros in Paris.
“For me, the Olympic gold medal is massive for him this year and he will set his sights on that one big target,” Lester told EUROSPORTPLUX.
“It is the only thing that I missing from his CV and he will tailor everything around that. When you have achieved everything and only one final prize is missing, it would make sense to make it your priority.
“For me, he is still the man to beat on a hard court when he is fully fit and motivated.
“He could easily win another four Slams over the next couple of years if he stays fit and the desire is there.
“If he still has the passion to chase records and great records.”
Novak Djokovic’s defeat against Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals sparked suggestions that his days as the undisputed king of men’s tennis are coming to an end.
That would appear to be a hasty rush to judgment for a legend of the game who was dominant in the men’s game as he won three Grand Slams and lost in the final of they fourth last year.
There is also another reason why Djokovic may have allowed his level of excellence to slip in Melbourne, with Lester suggesting he was struggling physically.
“From what I heard in Melbourne, he wasn’t particularly well out there,” he stated.
“Maybe that led to him not being quite as engaged as he had been in previous years.
“Let’s be honest, the level of motivation he has displayed for so long is going to tail off at some point.
“He’s doing things at his age that have never been done before and at some point, you have to think it will stop happening for him.”
Novak Djokovic is set to return to action at the ATP 1000 event at Indian Wells next month, but Lester suspects he may not play at the Miami Open a week later as he looks to trim down his schedule.
“He is going to play a shortened schedule and that makes sense at his age,” he added. “He will play Indian Wells, I don’t think he’ll play in Miami. I don’t see him playing Monte Carlo this year.
“When you are close to 37, you need to make sure you play a schedule that gives you the best chance possible of winning the big tournaments and avoiding injury and I’m sure Novak will do that this year.”
