By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday July 15, 2021
World No.1 Novak Djokovic has announced his intent to play the Tokyo Olympics.
Photo Source: Getty
Novak Djokovic’s quest for the Golden Slam is officially on. The World No.1 took to Twitter on Thursday evening to announce that he is packing his bags and flying to Tokyo to join Team Serbia for the Olympic Games.
“I booked my flight for Tokyo and will proudly be joining #TeamSerbia for the Olympics,” Djokovic wrote.
In Serbian, the 20-time major champion concluded: “I am very proud to pack for Tokyo and join our national team in the fight for the brightest medals on the Olympic arenas. For me, the game for Serbia has always been a special joy and motivation and I will do my best to make us all happy! Let's go!”
After Wimbledon Djokovic was “50-50” on Playing Tokyo
Djokovic, who claimed his sixth Wimbledon and 20th major singles title on Sunday by defeating Matteo Berrettini in a four-set final, was reluctant to commit to the Olympics after Sunday’s final.
He told reporters that the strict coronavirus countermeasures and the fact that the tennis event would allow no fans to attend left him on the fence.
“I also hear that there’s going to be a lot of restrictions within the Village,” he said on Sunday after the Wimbledon final. “Possibly you would not be able to see other athletes perform live. I can’t even have my stringer that is very important part of my team. I can’t have a stringer. I’m limited with the amount of people I can take in my team as well.”
After a few days Djokovic has made peace with his decision. He will attempt to complete the fourth leg of the “Golden Slam,” a feat comprised of four major titles and one Olympic Gold medal in singles, all in the same calendar year.
Already Djokovic has become the first male tennis player to win the first three major titles of a tennis season since Rod Laver in 1969. If he can capture Gold in Tokyo and the US Open singles title, he would become the first player to win the Golden Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988, and the first male player to ever accomplish the feat.
Djokovic has never won an Olympic Gold medal. He claimed Bronze in Beijing in singles in 2008, but in his last two appearances he has been kept off the podium.