Djoko keeping Grand Slam glory in mind

Novak Djokovic is setting the stage for a dream eighth title at the Paris Masters, with the 24-time Grand Slam winner still counting on the four majors to motivate him at age 39.

The Serb who is now striving to find a place in the ATP Finals for November 15 in Turin, has it all to play for this week at the La Defense arena to the far west of the capital.

He won his last title here in 2023 when the event was still played at its historic home in the Bercy neighbourhood in the east.

He won a 500-level title last month in Beijing but crashed out early last week in Basel after winning a round.

Still, the fighting spirit in the veteran remains a driving force.

“Grand Slams remain the most important tournaments we have. They are the historic pillars of our sport, where you want to play your best tennis and make your name known in the history books of tennis.

“I still want to do my best in slams, but I also would like to play well in other
tournaments.”

He explained his current thinking. “This year the focus shifted to feeling well on the court rather than playing well, to be honest. Most of the tournaments that I played, I didn’t play many. Health-wise, a big struggle. 

“I struggled a lot, but lately we’re really getting closer to solving what I have been going through in the last 12 months.”

Djokovic called his Beijing title “the best week of the year, other than Australia, and I thought I played pretty well in Basel.

“That was a tight match to lose, but yeah but I’m just trying to enjoy the last couple weeks of the season. Then the performance will come. Yeah, we’ll see after that.”

Main photo:-Paris Rolex Paris Masters 2023 Novak Djokovic wins final by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd