‘No One’s Forcing Me to Play’ – Novak Djokovic Opens up on What Keeps Him Going Through His Tough Patch

Novak Djokovic still feels motivated and inspired. The Serbian undoubtedly played the best tennis of his 2022 season in his quarterfinal clash against Miomir Kecmanovic at the Serbia Open. Playing just the sixth match of the year, Djokovic struggled to play in the first set. However, composing himself, World No. 1 made a strong comeback, winning the next two sets of the hard-fought battle.

Post the match, the Serbian grace opened up about his match and his tournament campaign till now.

Djokovic on his gracious career

Novak Djokovic is undoubtedly a living example of a legend on court. In his two-decade-long career, the champion player has reached the maximum heights of the game.

However, a question that often hits the top players is why they continue playing despite achieving everything in the sport. Novak is no different. Opening up on why he continues to play, the 20-time Grand Slam said, “I choose to play. No one is forcing me to play. I’ve done enough in my career that I could stop today. But I still feel motivated and inspired. “

Djokovic is one of the most successful players on the tour. Having an overall winning percentage of 83%, the legendary player has one of the best records in the professional circuit. However, the same has not been replicated in the 2022 season. Being firm on his vaccination stand, Djokovic has played just 2 tournaments prior to the Serbia Open, suffering early-round exits in both of them.

Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Monte Carlo Masters – Monte-Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France – April 12, 2022 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic during his second round match against Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Opening up on the expectations from people, Novak explained, “All these expectations from people, they got used to seeing you at that level for 10, 15 years. They always expect you to be winning 99 percent of the matches,” he explained. “But obviously that’s not possible. You have to accept the fact that you going to lose, that you’re not going to feel good, that it might take more time to get into the groove.”

Novak Djokovic in 2022

Following his deportation from Australia, Novak Djokovic kicked off his 2022 season at the Dubai Open. Even though he won the first two rounds with ease, he was stunned in the quarterfinals by Jiri Vesely. Failing to play at the Sunshine Doubles because of his vaccination status, Djokovic next played at the Monte Carlo Masters.

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Tennis – ATP 500 – Dubai Tennis Championships – The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates – February 24, 2022 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic looks dejected after he loses his quarter final match against Czech Republic’s Jiri Vesely REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

Receiving a first-round bye, Djokovic started his tournament campaign from the second-round. However, having less of match experience for the year, he suffered a three-set loss to Spaniard, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

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He is currently playing at the Serbia Open and will face Karen Khachanov in the semifinals.

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