Novak Djokovic has reflected on his psychological approach to the toughest moments in the 2023 US Open final and tennis in general in the wake of winning his 24th career Grand Slam title.
Djokovic defeated ATP's world number three Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the US Open final on Sunday to become the most decorated Grand Slam winner in men's tennis. The victory at Flushing Meadows followed earlier season wins at the Australian Open in January and at Roland Garros in June.
On paper, Djokovic's win over Medvedev looked like a one-sided encounter, but the gruelling third set tested the Serbian's resolve as it lasted one hour and 44 minutes. After the final, the 36-year-old explained to the Today Show that he had some internal struggles at times, despite regaining composure.
"There were doubts, there are always doubts. But it’s important to keep things quite simple and have good clarity and be in the present moment and focus on the next point and what needs to be done.”
With his 24th Grand Slam title in the bag and after showing no signs of slowing down just yet, Djokovic has become one of the greatest players of all time and shown a level of consistency rivalled by an elite few in the game.
When asked about his willingness to continue for so long and to maintain a level of elite success, Djokovic told CBS Mornings that highs and lows are natural, but having targets is a key motivator.
“I think setting goals and objectives is extremely important for anything, really. That’s one of the reasons why I think athletes resonate with people, because we are able to go through the lowest of the lows to highest of highs in a very short timespan in a game, in a tennis match or a football game or a basketball game."
"I think this incredibly wide spectrum of emotions that you go through and facing adversities and overcoming the challenges and obstacles is something that people relate to.”
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