Novak Djokovic feels Wimbledon could be his best chance of adding a record 25th Grand Slam title to his glittering CV.
The 38-year-old is bidding for his eighth title at this event – if successful he would match Roger Federer’s record – and first Grand Slam victory since winning the US Open in September 2023.
Djokovic has only gone beyond the semi-finals once in six majors since that triumph in New York, when he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final for the second year running.
Speaking ahead of this year’s tournament at the All England Club, at which Djokovic will play France’s Alexandre Muller in the first round, the former world No 1 said: “I would probably agree Wimbledon could be the best chance (of a 25th Grand Slam).
“Because of the results I have had, because of how I feel, how I play in Wimbledon – getting that extra push mentally and motivation to perform the best tennis at the highest level.
“Whether it could be my last dance, I’m not sure, as I’m not sure about Roland Garros [the French Open] or any other slam that I play next.
“My wish is to play for several more years, I would love to be healthy physically and also mentally motivated to keep on playing at the highest level.
“That’s the goal, but you never know at this stage.”
‘I’m trying to play the best tennis in Grand Slams’
Djokovic, who is now ranked sixth in the world, added: “I would say it’s slightly different for me now in terms of I don’t chase the rankings anymore in that regard.
“I’m trying to play the best tennis in Grand Slams and trying to win Grand Slams. That hasn’t changed.
“Even though my level of tennis has been going quite up and down and fluctuating much more than it was the case for the most part of my career – if you see the last year and a half I’ve been kind of volatile with my results – at Grand Slams it stays quite consistent.
“That’s good. That’s a good sign because that’s exactly what I want. These tournaments give me the biggest drive still.
“This year I played two [Grand Slam] semi-finals. Unfortunately in Australia I had to retire, in Roland Garros I was outplayed by Jannik Sinner.
“I think I still played a decent level of tennis that showed me that I can still play on a very high level at the later stages.
Follow Wimbledon across Sky Sports‘ digital platforms from June 30-July 13.
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