Due to Roger Federer’s retirement from tennis in 2022 and Rafael Nadal’s injury issues, Novak Djokovic has acknowledged that he has a “strange feeling.
” The 36-year-old claims to be looking for a new opponent and to have had “great matches” with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic also talked about the possibility of competing in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
While competing without his longtime “Big Three” rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic has acknowledged feeling “strange.”
His former opponent Rafael Nadal withdrew from the tournament on Thursday, saying he is “not yet ready to play at the highest level” while he continues to heal from a hip injury sustained in January. The 24-time Grand Slam champion is scheduled to play at Indian Wells this week.
Because of his injury issues, Nadal has only participated in three games in the past 14 months.
After a prolonged knee ailment, Federer, who won 20 Grand Slam titles, announced the retirement of his illustrious career at the end of 2022.
Djokovic also revealed that he had not been consistently fighting against two opponents with whom he had fought multiple times during the previous 20 years.
He remarked, “There’s a reason for everything in life, and I think it’s great for our sport that we had such amazing rivalries that have truly defined the past two decades.” And I recall John McEnroe stating in one of the movies I’ve watched lately that even though he continued to play, he felt like a part of him retired when Bjorn Borg did.
“I have to admit that I feel the same way about Roger Federer’s retirement and Rafa Nadal’s lack of play. It’s an odd sensation.
“I mean, I try to find a new rival, and I had some great matches with [Carlos Alcaraz] and [Jannik] Sinner lately, but they still remain the two biggest rivals I’ve ever had.”
When asked if he will compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Djokovic, 36, replied that it was too early to say if he would still be playing professionally.
“I mean, everything is on the cards,” he replied.
“I simply have no idea how many cards I have left.” See you later. It’s still a long way off. Consider the Olympic Games in Los Angeles; the mere idea of them thrills me.
Naturally, I enjoy playing that. However, the Olympics are known to occur every four years. I’m not quite ready to commit to that yet. I suppose I’ll just watch how my body serves me and how devoted and passionate I am year by year.”
At Indian Wells on Saturday, Djokovic faces Aleksandar Vukic of Australia in the Round of 64.