Djokovic: “If I was holding a grudge, I might not be here today”

Novak Djokovic admitted (4). at the press conference before the start of the Australian Open that the reason why he continues to play tennis is to be the best all the time.

“Of course it’s a motivation for me to be the tennis player with the most Grand Slam titles. I want to be the best and win the best tournaments, there’s nothing to hide about it”, argued Balkan, who will have the option to climb significantly in the ATP ranking after not playing in the competition last year after being deported from the country for not being vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“The amount of positive experiences I had in Australia far outweighed the negative experiences last year. If I had a grudge, I might not be here today.”, he explained after being asked about his ability to overcome the setback he experienced last year in Melbourne.

The champion of 21 ‘major’ titles was also unable to participate in the US Open, as well as the entire previous tour in this country, for the same reason and ensured that he invested all that time to improve tennis and physically.

“The fact that I didn’t play for a few months at the beginning of last year allowed me to meet with my team and work on my fitness and my tennisthat contributed to getting positive results”, added Djokovic, who will face Spaniard Roberto Carballés in the first round.

The Belgrade native also admitted he has had to deal with a hamstring in the last seven days although he hopes it won’t be a serious problem for the next two weeks.

“Obviously I was a bit cautious. I don’t go to the maximum in training sessions, I’m saving energy for next week. Hopefully it won’t cause me any kind of problem during the tournament,” he said.