Novak Djokovic opened up about how high maintaining the World No.1 ranking was on his list of priorities throughout the concluding stages of this season.
Djokovic's 2023 season has been nothing short of phenomenal and would be close to his lofty expectations of himself at the beginning of the season. The Serbian racked up another three major titles at the Australian Open, French Open, and lastly at the US Open.
On top of that, he narrowly missed out on the Wimbledon title in a memorable final loss to Carlos Alcaraz. The Serbian is continuing to show that even in the concluding years of his career, he can still compete with the very best and play at an extremely high level.
As long as there are major titles still within his grasp and a realistic possibility, then there is no reason for Djokovic to adjust those high expectations.
What has been noticeable in recent years is Djokovic's decision to play less of a stacked schedule. Most of his focus now seems to be on peaking for the four Grand Slams, and at the very least, building some good match tightness at the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments just below that.
Djokovic addressed his priorities moving forward after hinting he would not be competing in any of the Asian tournaments during the Asian swing in the coming weeks.
"For me, ending the season as No.1 in the world would be like the bonus to a great season, but it's not the priority. My priority was to win the top Grand Slam titles this season. I won three and in the fourth I made the final. It has been ap perfect year for me, in addition to now competing for my country. Everything that comes from now on will be a bonus."
Ultimately, Djokovic stretching out the number of weeks he stays as World No.1 doesn't really strengthen his legacy, but adding to the Grand Slam title total certainly does. As a result, those priorities have changed as he has gotten older and looked to protect his body.
Djokovic is motivated by chasing history, and the major honours offer that more than anything.
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