Novak Djokovic completed his quest for the elusive Olympic gold earlier this year in Paris, and if Martina Navratilova’s words are anything to go by, the completed quest could well have an impact on his motivation to continue playing.
The American, who also boasts of a long career spanning decades, said in an interview with Sky Sports Tennis that Djokovic has completed his trophy cabinet with the Olympic gold that he had been chasing for years. She, however, was quick to note that the desire to better his and Margaret Court’s joint record for number of singles Grand Slam titles may keep him going.Notably, Djokovic equaled Court’s all-time record of 24 singles Grand Slam trophies after winning the 2023 US Open title.
He got what he really wanted, which was the Olympic gold medal, but he still wants the 25th Grand Slam, because then he’s one more than Margaret Court,” Martina Navratilova said.
However, she doubled down on her assessment and said the “end” will catch up to the Serb sooner than later, while noting that he did not look at his best even in his third-round loss to Alexei Popyrin at the 2024 US Open.
Martina Navratilova claimed that while the “fire” for the 25th Grand Slam could still be burning, there was also the factor of his family and wife Jelena wanting him to spend more time with them eventually.
“The end of his time will catch up with him… and it may already be a little bit, because he wasn’t really himself in that last match,” she said. “It depends on whether the fire is still burning.”
If it’s still burning, I’m never going to say to him ‘you shouldn’t play’ , because it’s never going to tarnish his legacy. He’s ridiculously good. I’m sure his wife is saying, ‘It’s time to hang him up, how many more of these do you need?'” she added.
