Former British No.1 reckons Novak Djokovic would choose ‘Olympic Gold’ over ‘3 more Grand Slams’

Novak Djokovic faces a task to be fit for the Paris Olympics.

Former British No.1 reckons Novak Djokovic would choose ‘Olympic Gold’ over ‘3 more Grand Slams’

Novak Djokovic (Via Imago)

24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic has enjoyed a career that every tennis player would dream of. The Serbian has won every Grand Slam, Masters 1000, and the coveted World Tour Finals in his career, which is an impressive achievement.

However, like every champion’s career, he has one thing missing in his CV: the Olympic Gold Medal. Former British No.1 Greg Rusedski was talking on the Apple Podcast, where he discussed the importance of an Olympic gold medal in the Serbian’s career.

Rusedski admitted Olympics on Parisian clay will be difficult for Djokovic but he knows that time and again, Djokovic has defied the odds. He added that the Serb would pick winning an Olympic gold over 3 more major titles.

FS Video
The Olympics will be tough, there’s no doubt about that. But this is where the doctors will have to work their magic. At the Australian Open he won with a torn abs, how did he do it? I mean, it's just superhuman. And I know he's motivated for this year. If you gave him the choice of winning three more Grand Slam titles or Olympic gold, he would choose the medal.
Greg Rusedski on Apple Podcast.

Djokovic won an Olympic medal in Beijing 2008, defeating James Blake in the bronze medal match. However, he failed to win any medals in London 2012 and Tokyo 2020. Moreover, in Rio 2016, he lost in the first round to Juan Martin Del Potro.

Djokovic has not yet announced when he will return to competitive play. Following Roland Garros, media reports have speculated that he might miss the grass-court Grand Slam at Wimbledon, starting on July 1. In an earlier social media post, the former World No.1 had promised to return to the court as soon as possible.

Novak Djokovic shares injury update from the gym

Just a week after his right knee meniscus surgery, Novak Djokovic has returned to the gym. The 37-year-old shared his progress with fans through an Instagram video on Friday. The video shows Djokovic engaged in various exercises, including pedaling on a stationary bike, performing footwork drills, balancing on a half-round ball, and using resistance bands in different circuits.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Via Imago)

The Serbian had worsened an existing knee issue during his valiant effort at the recent clay-court major. He spent nearly nine hours on the court in consecutive five-set matches in Paris. In the third round, he staged a comeback to defeat Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in a match that concluded at 3:06 a.m. local time.

Less than two days later, he faced Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo. Despite being down two sets to one, he emerged victorious after more than four hours of play, though he injured his knee in the second set.

Djokovic managed to finish the match with the help of adrenaline and painkillers but had to withdraw from the tournament before his quarterfinal match against Casper Ruud. That withdrawal meant that he would lose his World No.1 ranking to Jannik Sinner.

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