Novak Djokovic reveals he has ‘been instructed not to say anything’ about one particular topic
Novak Djokovic was in a jovial mood during his Paris Masters per-tournament press conference as he touched on several issues including his coach Goran Ivanisevic, his “nine lives” and one subject that is taboo.
After taking a well-earned break following his US Open title run where he lifted a record-extending 24th Grand Slam trophy with victory over Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic will return to action at the ATP Masters 1000 event this week.
Having won almost every single trophy there is to win in tennis, Djokovic admitted that it is all about motivation and he acknowledged that sometimes it is a struggle.
In an interview with Eurosport, he stated: “I’m as flawed a human being as can be. I need even more extra motivation nowadays at this later stage of my career than maybe what I needed five years ago or 10 years ago. Things are different. My life is evolving.”
But that is where his coaching team – which features 2001 Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic – comes in, although he joked they are not having a lot of success when it comes to keeping him going.
“Goran and the rest of the team are trying to find new ways to motivate me. They haven’t been succeeding much so far,” he said laughing.
The world No 1 added: “We have a lot of fun, we are great friends. We have a professional relationship. The problem we have, because of the success of Croatian and Serbian players in the last 30 years or so, we unfortunately have a situation where most of the umpires understand the swearing words.
“So we have to play around a little bit, we have to use the slang, create new words, but when you’re p***** off you don’t think about creating.”
The Boss returns. #RolexParisMasters | @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/7bb8RSWerZ
â ROLEX PARIS MASTERS (@RolexPMasters) October 28, 2023
Of course, attention was always going to turn to his record-breaking 24 Grand Slams.
Djokovic started the 2023 season on 21 majors – one behind Rafael Nadal’s then record of 22 – but he drew level at the Australian Open and then went ahead at the French Open before going two clear of the Spaniard at the US Open.
The next target is waving at him and he might soon have to swap his No 24 Lacoste-branded jackets for jackets with No 25 printed on them.
Asked about No 25, he jokingly said: “I’ve been instructed not to say anything” before adding that it is a “wonderful problem to have. If No 25 comes right now in January it would be amazing”.
He later added: “I’m happy with 24 but people in my country they say why not go for 25, 30. I say if it was that easy, it would be great.”
Djokovic, though, 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.
Asked about his unique skill, replied: “I don’t know how it looks, but I know how it feels. You’ve really got to earn. I feel like a cat sometimes, with nine lives. Every time I play a Grand Slam, I lose one life.”
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