“Since I was six or seven years old, so for 31 years, I’ve dedicated every day to living the tennis life. I play an individual sport, there is nobody who can substitute me. I need to show up at my best on a daily basis in every practice, not to miss one round of treatments, and I have to motivate myself consistently. I feel the support and the love – my family and my team, Serbia, people from all over the world giving me energy – but you still have to find the real motivation within yourself, which is a whole different thing. After all these years and everything that I’ve achieved, it’s not easy to get up every day with the same clarity and desire to do certain things for the millionth time. On the other hand, I really love all of that, I enjoy it, it’s not a cliche, it’s a strong emotion, I’ve told you guys already.”
There was no need to ask further questions as Djokovic was on a roll, saying: “Apart from that, lot of things have to come together – both personally and professionaly – in order for this level to be sustained for this long. It’s all about the attitude – do I want something, what’s the purpose, what are the goals, do I really want this, or someone else wants it and I am just following along… These are the questions swirling around my head more frequently than before. But these kind of moments, these matches are what my dreams are made of, they inspire me: five sets with 10-15 years younger opponents in the greatest stadiums in the world, and me showing that I still have what it takes, that I am still able to physically outlast them. Those are the kind of things that get me going. When I feel that I can’t do that anymore, that will be the time to call it a day. But I am in the quarter-finals once again, having played nine hours of tennis in two matches. I don’t wish to stop.”
Djokovic on breaking Federer’s record
Following all the talk about the knee injury and the state of the court, to conclude the press conference, Serbian reporters asked about Djokovic’s new record – 370 Grand Slam match wins, one more than Roger Federer.
“It’s my first record!” Djokovic said before he laughingly added: “Today!”
He went on: “It’s always nice to hear that I’ve broken another record. I’ve started writing my own history a long time ago, I am still focusing on that and I was always willing to be transparent about my desire to chase new records. I am glad that I’ve achieved another one, let’s get some more.”
Djokovic will play Casper Ruud on Wednesday in his 15th consecutive Roland Garros quarter-final.