Novak Djokovic no longer feels like people are painting him as a villain as he tries to win a record-extending 10th Australian Open title and join Rafael Nadal on 22 grand slam championships.
The former world No.1, already widely considered the greatest player of all-time, was frank on Saturday about his historic pursuit, saying he wanted to “be the best” and keep adding to his extraordinary grand slam tally.
Djokovic was also unable to contest last year’s US Open because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19, but will on Tuesday resume his chase of Nadal – and his recent career experiences have only made him more determined.
Novak Djokovic.Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui
“That’s why I keep on playing professional tennis, competition tennis, because I want to be the best [and] I want to win the biggest tournaments in the world,” he said.
“There is no secret about it. It doesn’t get bigger than this. You have four slams that, historically, have been the biggest events in our sport. It’s also one of the biggest reasons why I was really looking forward to coming back to Australia – because of my record here.”
In a way, if I do hold the grudges, probably if I’m not able to move on, I wouldn’t be here.
Djokovic again professed his love for playing on Rod Laver Arena, particularly under lights, and warned his rivals he was in “very good shape”.
“I ended the year in the best possible way, and continued that form in Adelaide [last week]. I like the way I played there. I beat some really good players, especially in the last few matches of the tournament,” he said.
“I like my chances. I always like my chances. I train as hard as really anybody out there. There are a lot of youngsters now that are very hungry, that want to win. They want to take a scalp off you on the big stadium. I know that.
“[The] experience of being in these kinds of particular circumstances helps, I think, to have the right approach and do things in a proper way because I know when I’m healthy and playing my best; on this court, I have chances against anybody.”
Djokovic revealed on Friday night, after his exhibition match against Nick Kyrgios, that he was emotional walking onto Melbourne Park’s centre court because he was fearful about a possible bad reception after last year’s deportation.
The Serbian superstar’s unvaccinated status dominated headlines 12 months ago as he spent five days in a detention centre before controversially being kicked out of the country.
Djokovic has insisted ever since landing in Adelaide just after Christmas – and right through his title-winning run before arriving in Melbourne on Monday – that he does not hold a grudge, a stance that still draws curiosity.
“In a way, if I do hold the grudges, probably if I’m not able to move on, I wouldn’t be here,” he said.
“The amount of positive experiences I had in Australia overwhelm the negative experience, maybe, of last year.
“My impression of Australia, my vision of Australia, has always been very positive, and that has reflected on my performance. My results are a testament to how [I] feel here.
“I was really looking forward to coming back and playing tennis because that’s ultimately what I do best, what I always wanted to do, what I wanted to do last year.”
Watch the Australian Open live and free on the Nine Network – Channel 9, 9Gem, and 9NOW.
