Again, Novak Djokovic proved his critics wrong. Serbian tennis sensation Novak Djokovic broke the prior record on Sunday when he won the ATP Masters 1000 for the 411th time. This incredible feat came after a convincing 6-1, 7-6(1) victory over Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the third round of the Miami Open. Apart from inching closer to claiming his 100th singles title, Djokovic’s win demonstrated that, at his ripe old age, he is still the master of the game.
Although his on-court exploits continue to be impressive, the 37-year-old’s ambitions appear to have changed with time. With more than 400 weeks ranked number one and now ranked fifth in the ATP rankings, Djokovic indicated that winning the number one ranking again is no longer his main concern. In a post-match interview with journalists, the tennis legend clarified, “If it comes as a byproduct of excellent performances and titles that I capture in a season, then that’s fantastic. But that’s not my goal.”
His 24 Grand Slam titles have already established him as one of the all-time greats, but Djokovic now values the quality of his play more than chasing rankings. “My goal is to be able to play my best tennis at the Grand Slams and the tournaments that I do play. My schedule is redone, so naturally I’m not pursuing ranking points,” he said, providing a glimpse of his new approach to the game.
To Djokovic, winning Grand Slams and big tournaments means more to him than getting back to number one. “It’s different these days, perhaps, than it was a couple of years ago (or) for the majority of my career, to be honest. I’m content to win a Grand Slam and a big tournament as opposed to reaching number one. Currently that is more significant for me.”
This change of emphasis is a manifestation of his changing mindset as he approaches the end of his distinguished career. While he continues to play tennis to a great standard, his objectives have grown up from the ceaseless striving for rankings which had characterized his early years on the tour. He has accepted the alterations in his strategy, realizing that he has a limited time left on the tour.
Although Djokovic’s success already puts him among the all-time greats of tennis, he has also spoken in admiration of the records of other tennis greats. Jimmy Connors, with 109 titles, is the record holder for most career singles titles, followed by Roger Federer with 103. Djokovic, who currently stands at 99 singles titles, has not dismissed the chances of overtaking these landmarks, though he acknowledges the challenge of doing so in the contemporary era of tennis.
It would definitely be amazing to get to that record,” Djokovic admitted. “Connors is somebody that I really admire and respect. He’s always really nice about me publicly, I appreciate that. It would be great. But again, it’s maybe harder to do that these days for me than perhaps it was some years back. I’ll take it step by step. I’ll see.”. I do not know how long I am going to compete for. But I am still having fun when I am playing well.
Djokovic’s love for tennis is strong, although breaking records is no longer his primary objective. He has demonstrated that his ability to adapt to changing priorities without compromising performance is proof of his continued greatness. It’s clear that Djokovic values the experience of performing at his best instead of just accumulating more accolades to his storied career as he chases grand titles. The tennis world can look forward to more memorable moments from the Serbian great as long as he loves playing the sport.
