3 min readApr 10, 2026 04:03 PM IST
2026 marks 23 years since Novak Djokovic turned pro, and over a career lasting more than two decades, the Serbian has won everything there is to win in tennis. Yet, just over a month before turning 39, he keeps going on and on in a bid to taste more success and add more silverware to a glittering trophy cabinet and build on his legacy in the sport.
The next gen, comprising the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, has arrived, and for Djokovic, the challenge is to compete and succeed against them.
“What keeps me going is first and foremost my love for the game. Tennis has been my life for so long, and I still enjoy every moment on the court. I love the competition, I love the challenge, and I still feel strong and capable of competing with the younger players – that’s a big part of the fun for me,” he told Esquire.
The Serbian joined an elite list of athletes who have won all four slams and the Olympic gold medal when he clinched the yellow metal in Paris in 2024, beating Alcaraz in the final.
Djokovic said that winning the gold at the Paris Olympics was “one of the greatest moments of my career” and standing on the podium and hearing the national anthem was a feeling that would stay with him forever.
“Olympic gold was a lifelong dream for me. I went to four Olympic Games, and for a long time that medal was missing.”
“To win in Paris, at 37, representing Serbia, is without question one of the greatest moments of my career. Standing there, singing the national anthem, holding the gold medal – it’s a feeling that stays with you forever, not just in your memory but in your whole body. I’ve never experienced emotions like that on a tennis court before. The tears just came, naturally. It was very pure, very powerful,” Djokovic said.
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The gold medal win in Paris led many to believe that the Serbian had completed tennis, that he had won everything there is to win in sport. Djokovic, though, begs to differ.
“I don’t feel like I’ve ‘completed’ tennis. My motivation to keep playing comes from my love for the game, from competition, and from challenging myself,” he added.
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