Novak Djokovic was in a jovial mood during his Paris Masters tournament press conference as he discussed several topics, including his coach Goran Ivanisevic, his “nine lives” and a taboo subject.
After taking a well-deserved break following his title run at the US Open where he claimed a record 24th Grand Slam trophy with victory over Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic will return to action at the ATP event Masters 1000 this week.
Having won almost every trophy in tennis, Djokovic admitted that it’s all about motivation and he acknowledged that it’s a struggle at times.
In an interview with Eurosport, he said: “I am as imperfect a human being as possible. I need even more motivation today, at this late stage of my career, than perhaps I needed five or ten years ago. Things are different. My life is evolving.
But that’s where his coaching staff – which includes 2001 Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic – comes in, although he joked that they don’t have much success when it comes to keep him alive.
“Goran and the rest of the team are trying to find new ways to motivate me. So far they haven’t had much success,” he says with a laugh.
The world number 1 added: “We have a lot of fun, we are very good friends. We have a professional relationship. The problem we have, due to the success of Croatian and Serbian players over the last 30 years, we unfortunately find ourselves in a situation where most referees understand bad words.
“So you have to play a little, you have to use slang, create new words, but when you’re screwed, you don’t think about creating.”
The boss returns. #RolexParisMasters | @DjokerNolé pic.twitter.com/7bb8RSWerZ
– ROLEX PARIS MASTERS (@RolexPMasters) October 28, 2023
Of course, attention was always going to turn to his record 24 Grand Slams.
Djokovic began the 2023 season with 21 majors – one behind Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 – but he tied at the Australian Open, then took the lead at Roland Garros before edging the Spaniard by two points at the US Open.
The next target beckons and he may soon have to trade in his No. 24 Lacoste jackets for jackets with the number 25 printed on them.
Asked about number 25, he jokingly replied: “I was asked not to say anything” before adding that it’s a “wonderful problem to have”. If number 25 comes now, in January, that would be amazing.”
He later added: “I’m happy with the 24, but people in my country say why not go for the 25, the 30. I say if it was that simple it would be great.” »
Djokovic, however, has a knack for making things look easy when it comes to winning Grand Slams as he has won 12 of his 24 majors since the start of the 2018 season.
When asked about his unique talent, he replied: “I don’t know what it looks like, but I know what it feels like. You really have to win. I sometimes feel like a cat, with nine lives. Every time I play a Grand Slam, I lose a life.
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