MELBOURNE, Jan 17 : A defiant Novak Djokovic is adamant he can still beat any player on his day but at 38 the Serb is no longer focusing on the Grand Slam record, saying he does not need the pressure it brings.
With 24 Grand Slam titles, the 10-times Australian Open champion needs one more to move clear of Margaret Court and take sole ownership of the all-time record.
“There has been a lot of talk about the 25th, but, you know, I try to focus myself on what I have achieved, not what I’m possibly achieving,” he told reporters at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
“I mean, I hope it comes to that, but 24 is also not a bad number. I have to appreciate that and remind myself of the amazing career I had. And also release some of that unnecessary pressure.
“Obviously there is always pressure and expectations, but I don’t think it’s needed for me to really go far in terms of make-it-or-break-it type of thing … I don’t feel it’s necessary.
“Neither does that allow me to excel and perform my best.”
Djokovic made the semi-finals of all the Grand Slams last year but Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have proved a brick wall in his bid for more major silverware.
He will likely need to beat one or both of them to clinch an 11th title at Melbourne Park in his 21st appearance in the men’s singles.
Battle-worn after 20 years at the top of the game, Djokovic conceded it would be hard to beat the duo in five-set Grand Slam matches after losing to Alcaraz in last year’s U.S. Open semis.
On Saturday, though, the fourth-seeded Serb was ruling nothing out.
“I know that when I’m healthy, when I’m able to put all the pieces of the puzzle together on a given day, I feel like I can beat anybody,” he said.
“If I don’t have that self-belief and confidence in myself, I wouldn’t be here definitely sitting here and talking to you guys or competing.
“I still have the drive, and of course I understand that Sinner and Alcaraz are playing on a different level right now from everybody else. That’s a fact, but that doesn’t mean that nobody else has a chance.
“So I like my chances always in any tournament, particularly here.”
Famously cagey about his injuries, Djokovic pulled out of the Adelaide International in the leadup to Melbourne Park, saying he was not physically ready.
He declined to elaborate on what he called a little setback on Saturday but said he felt generally good ahead of a first-round match against unseeded Spaniard Pedro Martinez on Monday.
He also shot down any talk of retirement, saying he was some way off planning a farewell season and that walking out onto a court to compete was still an adrenaline rush.
“It’s almost like a drug, to be honest,” he added.
“But right now I’m still number four in the world, still competing at the highest level, and I feel like there is no need to draw the attention to that (retirement) discussion.”
