Former Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic finally achieved the main goal of his career this year: achieving the “Golden Career Slam” thanks to his victory at the 2024 Olympic Games. During the Asian series, the American edition of Vogue interviewed The 37. Year-old Serbian on the Great Wall of China. Novak spoke in detail about what Olympic gold means to him, how tennis is changing and its role in the world, how he envisions relaxing in his free time from training, talked about raising children and also hinted at what he will do after his career. ends.
– After the first gold medal won in Paris this summer, it may seem that there is no serious prize left that you can claim. Technically the dream has come true. What was your first thought when your emotions subsided? – I think that’s the point: the emotions didn’t subside for quite a while, to be honest. I didn’t even let myself think about how close I was to the goal until I reached match point. And then when I won, I felt… so much emotional intensity and so many emotions that I had never experienced before on the tennis court.
I played my best tennis on the big stage against Alcaraz, who was in form. It was an incredibly unique match, one of the most watched, in my opinion, at the Olympic Games of any sport, and I was very happy to be a part of this story. Winning a gold medal when my family, my wife, my children were there and my Serbian Olympic teammates were there to support me, came full circle after achieving all the great things that tennis had to offer. What was missing was the gold medal, and I felt the sincerity of emotion after the victory when I went to the Olympic Village to celebrate and the entire Serbian team came out to dance and sing with me.
Related materials
Video
Medvedev is a long-armed monkey, Djokovic is a chicken. Funny Chinese nicknames for tennis players
– Given the departure of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, do you agree that we are experiencing a “changing of the guard”? Of course, tennis is always evolving, but do you see one chapter ending and another beginning? “I don’t think everything is black and white, because if it is, then I’m more of an old guard and I can’t compete with the younger ones.” It’s definitely a transition period, but it takes time. This is a natural process and people have been talking about it for years. Now we have young people, yes, but there is also a generation that is not theirs: Zverev, Medvedev, Tsitsipas. They were all or are in the top 10, and Medvedev was the first to do so. They will remain at the top for some time, along with the young people.
But I think you mean Alcaraz and Sinner. There has been an incredible rivalry between the two over the last 12 months, and the rivalry is what really brings a lot of attention to the sport. People who don’t even follow tennis as such, follow the confrontations, the contrasts.
– In the end there were three or four of us competing, if we take Murray into account. “The first few years of my career, when I was trying to break through, it was Federer and Nadal, and it seemed like there was no room for a third player.
– Fair. “I had my own rivalry with Andy Murray, who was the same age as me, and we grew up together. But over the years, thanks to our achievements and results, we have expanded this rivalry and turned it into the era of the Big Four. I want to believe that he left a big and positive mark on tennis. I think that’s why at the end of the day it’s good to see new blood on the tour and new rivalries that are strong and genuine and bring people together.
ANDY MURRAY, RAFAEL NADAL, ROGER FEDERER AND NOVAK Djokovic IN 2022
Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for the Laver Cup
– In 2024, tennis has figured prominently in pop culture conversations, thanks in large part to the movie The Contenders. Have you seen it? – Yes, I talked a little about this with Zendaya in Paris, before the start of the Olympic Games. He said he always asks tennis players if they did a favor or a harm to the sport with the film. I praise him. I think it’s surprising that a superstar like her is interested in making a tennis movie.
– Do you think tennis will continue to evolve beyond being some kind of pop culture talking point? – Tennis is a global and very popular sport. Our Grand Slam tournaments are pillars that have existed for almost 150 years. We have tradition, culture, history, style, a certain prestige associated with the origin of tennis and how broad and accessible it is now. I think we have all the conditions to be even more popular.
– From the point of view of both the lifestyle and the number of people involved? – I would like to see more public tennis courts. I would like to see this sport grow in local communities. And now, with the arrival of pickleball, paddle tennis, all these racquet sports…
– Paddle tennis is very popular. – Yes, everyone talks about him. But did you see how they announced at the US Open that tennis was the “healthiest sport”?
– Yes, it was written on the sides of the net. – He who plays tennis lives longer!
– So be it. – More about pop culture: the intersection of big fashion brands and tennis or sports in general generates interest and attention, and this allows tennis to perhaps reach certain audiences that were not reached before. Lacoste is doing incredible work in this area, but again, it was founded in close connection with tennis.
Related materials
“I love you”. Djokovic captivated a Chinese fan before the Shanghai Masters
– It’s an intelligent comment. The style component is very important. – 100%, that’s why I say that the potential is much greater than what is seen on the field itself. Tennis is like a lifestyle brand that includes everything: travel, hospitality, healthy living, mental health, nutrition, fashion; There is also a spiritual aspect. There are so many different elements that come into play.
– You have a long history of having memorable interactions with the public, although they can be a little tense at times. – Of course, I had matches in which the public was against me and supported my opponent. But I’m used to it: most of the time I know how to work in my favor, stay calm and not take anything too personally. However, sometimes I get carried away and then, if someone in the stands crosses the line, I like to respond. But I also had many wonderful meetings where the atmosphere was incredible.
There was one match I lost: the 2021 US Open final with Medvedev, where I was trying to get a calendar Slam: winning all four Slams in one year. The level of appreciation and support I received from the crowd that day when I walked onto the court is something I will never forget. More than 20 thousand people gave me a standing ovation. This really took me by surprise.
– How do you really relax? Or never stop watching tennis? – No. First of all, I spend time with my children and my wife; my family is everything to me. I try to participate in the children’s daily activities, taking them to school. Every once in a while we take a family trip where the four of us hang out and get back together.
NOVAK Djokovic with his family
Photo: From Djokovic’s personal archive.
– Now you have a beautiful tan. Just from a trip like this? – Thank you! We were in Montenegro; It is one of my favorite places in the world and we love spending the summer there. I also love to play golf, I love to play and watch basketball, spend time in nature. I love kayaking, walking, biking, running; I am generally a person who lives in nature. I love expanding my space. I feel like modern lifestyles, especially in big cities and countries, have kept us too cooped up with technology, so I long to do things outdoors. For me it is like an active form of relaxation. Physically I like to always be active, even when I rest between tournaments. But the natural environment also relaxes my brain: my nervous system is happy to finally not have much stress. Although I must say: I would like to do this more than now. Oh, I love skiing, I forgot to mention that.
– It’s true? – I grew up in the mountains, my father was a professional skier, my uncles skied. That’s why, when I was a kid, I spent a lot of time on the slopes. And for me, today, the best feeling I can experience is going down the slope, freedom, mental relaxation and at the same time excitement and adrenaline. For me this is an incomparable feeling.
– Do you have any concerns about… injuries? – My sponsors, agents and team are more worried than me!
– I have no doubt. – I trust my instincts. Of course you never know, but I think that in life you have to take a little risk to feel alive.
– I like this attitude. You mentioned your family. Tennis fans have basically watched their children grow up over the years while cameras show them boxing. However, as they grow older, what is the most interesting and perhaps most challenging part of raising children? – The most interesting thing is that they are still children: they always want to play, that’s why they are very inventive. And of course, they challenge you all the time, pushing the limits and seeing how far they can go to get what they want. This interaction happens every day for the most insignificant reasons.
Patience and calm is something I really practice with my children and learn from them because they are so genuine and generous. As adults, we are rarely present; We are always thinking: “What should I do now?” We always think about the past and the future. And we often forget to be playful. Adult life is too serious.
– Adult life is difficult, with or without children. “That’s why I love spending time with kids.” I love that childish, innocent and pure energy. And thanks to the work of our foundation, our mission is to support the early development of children. But I think the most important thing I can say about being a parent is to understand that very often it’s about you, not them. If you want to be the best for them, if you want to be the best father or parent you can be, you must focus on being in the right state of mind, body and soul to give, receive, be patient in moments and strict – in others.
“It seems like that kind of thinking and values can be applied to tennis.” Is the challenge to align everything (mind, body, soul) and face changing and perhaps sometimes challenging situations? “When you are under pressure at home and you feel like you have to react in a certain way, and when you have to find solutions very quickly, there is a certain similarity compared to the court. Tennis is a very fast paced game, decision making is key and you need to be patient even if you lose your cool and cool. You must return to the next point to stay on the ground and continue in the match. So yeah, it’s similar when you look at it from that perspective.
– What’s on your to-do list, speaking purely of personal matters? “I have a lot to do; I am interested in many things in life.” I still want to learn to play the saxophone; I really want to learn. A few years ago I played well for a while, but then I lost the skill because I didn’t practice enough. You reminded me that I should play more.
– You should create a jazz band. – I would love to learn to sing and play instruments. The saxophone is number one, but then I want to learn something else. And I would like to learn to act in the theater, I love theater.
– It’s true? – Yes. Not necessarily cinema, but mainly theater. I love the live interaction.
– Do you have a favorite work? – Yes, but in our country you will not recognize it. I love comedies. I’m trying to learn some tips from comedian friends. I would like to learn to write and draw, do arts and crafts.
“Especially in comedic acting and with your sense of humor, you will definitely get some kind of role.” – This could be fun.
Related materials
Djokovic has been chasing his dream for 16 years! Novak is an Olympic champion, he won everything in tennis
– I would look. – With Jim Carrey. This is a dream. It’s amazing: his facial expressions, his skits. I always liked it because at the beginning of my career I parodied other tennis players and it went viral.
– A quite rich creative activity. – I am also passionate about wellness, health, recovery, sports science, biotechnology, financial technology and health technology. I am extremely passionate about these things. This is a fairly broad area of interest, but most of my investments are directed there and I am trying to establish various partnerships with big brands in these areas. My team and I are trying to bring everything together to create a legacy of really strong brands. Ultimately, I would like to expand my brand beyond tennis and philanthropy into business, healthy living and more.
– Wow. – Yes. (Laughs) There are a lot of things happening. I think my agent and business advisor is probably overwhelmed with all the things only he knows, but these are exciting times because, in some ways, it’s also a transition period for me.
– Tell us more about this. “I see tennis more as a platform, as an extension of my arm for all the things I can develop.
– When or after are you going to leave? – With the transition to the last phase of my career. And I don’t know how long it will last. I don’t put restrictions.
– Last question, and it refers to the abbreviation GOAT. We have seen some athletes use it. Do you like this term? Do you think it’s stupid? Does it even occur to you? “I think it only came into active use five or seven years ago or something like that.” If the GOAT debate is what gets people really interested in tennis, I support it. I like it. But I’m not going to say what I think about this or who the GOAT is. I’ll let other people decide that. I don’t think I’m in a position… to discuss something like this. I have to be respectful of previous generations and tennis has evolved so much with technology, even with rackets, it’s hard to say. People love to argue about how someone like Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver or John McEnroe would have played in this era, or how I would have played in any of theirs. We will never know. I feel honored to be part of this group, honored to call myself a student of the history of tennis and this game. Even though I’ve seen them many times, I still get goosebumps every time I meet these guys, these legends.
