Tokyo Olympics: Is Novak Djokovic concerned by the 'greatest tennis player' debate?

By Team Newsable | First Published Jul 23, 2021, 9:33 AM IST

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics would be special for Serbia's Novak Djokovic as he will have a chance to finish as an all-time great. While he is in the reckoning for the Golden Slam, the debate for 'greatest tennis player' continues to rage. However, is he concerned?

Tennis would also be a part of the Tokyo Olympics 2020, with some top stars set to grace the stage with their presence. In the same light, reigning world number one and modern-day great, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, too, would be taking part in the global event.

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However, amidst all of it, the 'greatest tennis player' debate continues to rage, as Nole has won a record 20 Grand Slam and is currently tied with Switzerland's Roger Federer and Spain's Rafael Nadal. While the Serbian is on the cusp of registering a Golden Slam, he is wary but not concerned by the foresaid debate.

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He told reporters on Thursday that he doesn't want to be a part of the debate right now, as his focus in on the event and his opening game. While he is well aware that history is on the line, he would discuss about it post the tournament, provided everything falls in place for him, reports Xinhua.

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"I put myself in an excellent position. I will take things very slowly and cautiously and focus on the next challenge. It is the kind of approach that I need to have. In the past, I wasn't probably fully experiencing that approach, and that backfired on me. I started to feel there was a lot of distraction around, influencing my performance," he added.

Nevertheless, Djokovic admitted that he has had the best Slam season and hopes to continue with the same momentum in the Olympics. While he was surprised at Federer and Nadal missing out, he still expects the event to live up to the hype.

"I had arguably the best Grand Slam season so far in my career, winning three out of three Grand Slams. I could not have had better preparation and better lead-up to Olympic Games than I had this year. Hopefully, I can have another good tournament and a good run," he continued.

"I haven't experienced too many big tournaments in the past 15 years without Roger and Rafa playing. It's a little bit strange. But still, some of the best players in the world are here, guys in the top six or seven in the world. They are the biggest contenders and candidates for winning a medal," he concluded.

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