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There wasn't even time to get over the defeat suffered in the semifinals at the Australian Open before Novak Djokovic was asked a question about the Roland Garros 2024. The Serb was eliminated for the first time in his career in the semifinals at the Australian Open from Jannik Sinner, showing himself as vulnerable as ever in Melbourne.
Projecting himself to the Roland Garros, which will be played from 26 May to 9 June 2024, Djokovic has indicated Rafael Nadal as the favorite for the final victory, in the event that he plays the tournament without problems.
"The Roland Garros is really a long way away. We need to see how the tennis players will play in the coming months, in particular during the clay season. It is a completely different surface from the others and is played in different conditions. Some play better on clay and are favoured, it is a surface that adapts to a certain type of tennis player.Nadal remains the number one favorite should he play the tournament.
Regardless of the fact that he hasn't played much, we're talking about the Roland Garros. Of course there are Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The top five or ten players in the world can be considered the favorites to win the final. There are still many months to go, we'll see how the situation evolves," explained Nole.
Djokovic is the reigning champion in Paris and will do everything to defend the title, especially since this could bring him a simply extraordinary record. We are talking about something that has never happened in the history of tennis and which, to be honest, will hardly be able to be replicated.
A record - a dream - that Djokovic is pursuing day after day. The fact that he took a break to recharge his energies after Melbourne is no coincidence. The Serb will want to arrive at the French Open in top physical and psychological shape.
Because Djokovic will be able to win the 4th Roland Garros title of his career, in Paris. A milestone that would make him the only tennis player in the history of men's singles to have won all 4 Majors at least 4 times. A goal that only Steffi Graff was capable of.
Djokovic has won the Australian Open 10 times, the Roland Garros 3 times, Wimbledon 7 times and the US Open 4 times.
The former German legend won the Australian Open 4 times, the Roland Garros 6 times, Wimbledon 7 times and the US Open 5 times. One of the last great records that still stand will therefore be put to the test by Djokovic, in the sparkling Parisian Fortnights.
In what will be an extremely intense period for the Serbian, who will also be able to aspire to other sensational records, considering the Wimbledon and Paris Olympics, which could once again shake the foundations of tennis history.
But where does Djokovic's desire come from?
We are who we are today because of our heritage. What we get out of life is partly influenced by what happened in our past. Novak did not have an easy childhood. When NATO launched the Allied Force operation against Slobodan Milosevic's Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in March 1999, Nole and his family were forced to take refuge in many different places, including grandfather Vladimir's basement.
The bombs identified Belgrade itself as one of the main targets. Traumas that are difficult and impossible to overcome completely. For the Serbian, failure was never a real option, because he carried the weight of the entire family on his shoulders and repaid with interest all the sacrifices made by his parents to allow him to play tennis.
"We experienced two wars, an embargo from 1992 to 1996. No Serbian athlete could travel abroad to participate in international competitions. It was a real challenge characterized by difficult moments, things could have gone differently for me. I believe that fate wanted me to play tennis and achieve great results," explained Djokovic during an interview with Today.
"There is obviously a connection with my origins. I was 12 years old when Serbia was bombed for two months day and night. The bombings? It's something that sometimes appears in my mind, especially when I hear the sound of fireworks .
They take me back to those moments, to the explosion of the bombs. It's not nice, we still have trauma related to that period. All of this is connected to my grit, my resilience and my spirit.
It's about always believing and never giving up. How many players are capable of doing what I did? I'm not saying this to self-incense, but to remind myself: Hey, pinch yourself and realize what you've done and who you are," he told.