RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Novak Djokovic mentioned he has no plans to hold up his racket any time quickly and, at age 36, is hoping he would possibly be capable of emulate American soccer nice Tom Brady by extending his profession properly previous his fortieth birthday.
Quarterback Brady performed 23 seasons within the Nationwide Soccer League, successful seven Tremendous Bowls with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier than lastly calling it quits on the age of 45 earlier this 12 months.
Djokovic, the No. 1-ranked participant on the earth, is making ready for the beginning of his twenty second season as an expert by taking part in an exhibition match towards Carlos Alcaraz in Riyadh on Wednesday. He mentioned he had already realized a lot from Brady.
“Tom Brady is a superb instance of a champion in his sport and somebody that has had such an awesome profession and longevity,” Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, informed reporters within the Saudi capital. “He has put a whole lot of hours and a whole lot of time into self-care, into restoration, into ensuring that in a means each facet of his physique and thoughts is roofed in order that he can have a long-lasting, profitable profession.
“I do know him personally and I realized so much from him, from his instance, and hopefully I can have a profession that goes as much as 40 or perhaps even past — let’s examine.”
Brady was in Djokovic’s field at Roland Garros in June to observe his pal win the French Open, certainly one of three Grand Slam trophies the Serbian captured in 2023 together with the Australian and U.S. Open titles.
“I really feel nice in my very own physique proper now and I have been taking part in some actually high-quality tennis,” Djokovic mentioned. “2023 was among the finest seasons I’ve had in my life and why cease when you’re nonetheless taking part in nice? So I am going to hold going and take [each] 12 months, one after the other, and see how far I am going.”
Alcaraz beat the Serbian in a five-set thriller to win this 12 months’s different Grand Slam title at Wimbledon and Djokovic welcomed the rise of the 20-year-old Spaniard, particularly as Roger Federer has retired and Rafa Nadal is coming into his final season.
“Our period is coming to an finish, however you might have Alcaraz rising which is nice, and I used to be very blissful that I had 4 superb matches with him this 12 months,” Djokovic mentioned. “Every match attracted a whole lot of consideration, we had a whole lot of nice highlights and it is good, it is good for our sport.”
Djokovic will make his last preparations for a tilt at an eleventh Australian Open title by representing his nation within the United Cup in Perth and Sydney within the first week of the brand new 12 months.