Novak Djokovic gears up for what is deemed the most crucial match of his tennis career.
Following a nail-biting five-set victory over Germany’s Alexander Zverev, the 34-year-old Serbian maestro finds himself on the brink of a monumental feat – the opportunity to clinch all four major grand slam titles in a single year, a distinction last achieved by Rod Laver in 1969. Furthermore, a win in this pivotal match would elevate Djokovic above his career contemporaries Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with an impressive tally of 21 grand slam titles.
Reflecting on his upcoming challenge, Djokovic humbly commented post his semi-final triumph, “I know that people would like to hear me talk about it, but there’s not much to talk about. There’s only one match left. All in. Let’s do it. I’m going to put my heart and my soul and my body and my head into that one. I’m going to treat the next match like it is the last match of my career.”
In what seems to be a recurring pattern, the world’s number one player conceded the first set during Friday night’s intense match, yet rallied back to secure the victory with an overall score of 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in just over three and a half hours.
Zverev, acknowledging Djokovic’s unparalleled resilience and mental fortitude, praised his opponent by stating, “… He plays the best tennis when he needs to, which a lot of players don’t. I think mentally he’s the best player to ever play the game.”
