Novak Djokovic makes ‘cocky and arrogant’ confession as he also reveals when he will quit tennis
Novak Djokovic is within touching distance of winning a third Grand Slam title in 2023 and remains the man to beat despite being on the wrong side of 30.
So is the 23-time major winner surprised by all his achievements at the age of 36 and the fact that he is beating players who are almost half his age?
The simple answer is no and he has every reason to be proud about performances as he has been putting in the hard yards over the years.
“It probably sounds cocky or arrogant, but I’m not really surprised because I know how much work and dedication and energy I put into trying to be in this position,” he said when asked if he is surprised to be “doing what he is doing” at the age of 36.
“I know that I deserve this and I always believe in myself, in my own capabilities, in my skills and my quality as a tennis player, to be able to deliver when it matters.
“I’m not really surprised, to be honest with you, because I feel good physically. I’ve been as fit or as prepared, as strong as I don’t want to say as ever, but as good as I’ve been in the years and years.”
On Friday Djokovic defeated 20-year-old Ben Shelton in straight sets to reach his 10th US Open final while he has now reached all four Grand Slam finals in a year for the third time after 2015 and 2021.
He has already won the Australian Open and French Open titles this year while he finished runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon.
On top of that, he will also return to No 1 in the ATP Rankings after the US Open.
He is the first to admit he is on borrowed years, but don’t expect him to quit while he is still at the top of his game as he made it clear that he will only retire once he starts losing early in Grand Slams.
The tennis icon, who will face Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s final at Flushing Meadows, added: “Age is just a number. That phrase really is resonating at the moment with me, and I don’t want to even consider leaving tennis or thinking about an end if I’m still at the top of the game.
“I just don’t see a reason for that. I probably consider doing that if I get my ass kicked by young guys in the Grand Slams in the years to come in the earlier stages. And then I’ll probably say, okay, maybe it’s time to move on. But so far, I still feel that I’m in the game.”
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