Djokovic wants to emulate Brady and
play on into his 40s
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[December 27, 2023]
RIYADH, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic has no plans to
hang up his racket any time soon and is hoping he might be able to
emulate American football great Tom Brady by extending his career
well past his 40th birthday, the 36-year-old Serbian said on
Tuesday.
Quarterback Brady played 23 seasons in the National Football League,
winning seven Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and Tampa
Bay Buccaneers before finally calling it quits at the age of 45
earlier this year.
World number one Djokovic, who is preparing for the start of his
22nd season as a professional by playing an exhibition match against
Carlos Alcaraz in Riyadh on Wednesday, said he had already learned
plenty from Brady.
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"Tom Brady is a great example of a champion in his sport and someone
that has had such a great career and longevity," the 24-times Grand
Slam champion told reporters in the Saudi capital.
"He has put a lot of hours and a lot of time into self-care, into
recovery, into making sure that in a way every aspect of his body
and mind is covered so that he can have a long-lasting, successful
career.
"I know him personally and I learned a lot from him, from his
example, and hopefully I can have a career that goes up to 40 or
maybe even beyond - let's see."
Brady was in Djokovic's box at Roland Garros in June to watch his
friend win the French Open, one of three Grand Slam trophies the
Serbian captured in 2023 along with the Australian and U.S. Open
titles.
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"I feel great in my own body right now and I've
been playing some really high-quality tennis," Djokovic added.
"2023 was one of the best seasons I've had in my
life and why stop while you're still playing great? So I'll keep
going and take (each) year, one by one, and see how far I go."
Alcaraz beat the Serbian in a five-set thriller to win this year's
other Grand Slam title at Wimbledon and Djokovic welcomed the rise
of the 20-year-old Spaniard, especially as Roger Federer has retired
and Rafa Nadal is entering his last season.
"Our era is coming to an end, but you have Alcaraz emerging which is
great, and I was very happy that I had four very good matches with
him this year," Djokovic said.
"Each match attracted a lot of attention, we had a lot of great
highlights and it's good, it's good for our sport."
Djokovic will make his final preparations for a tilt at an 11th
Australian Open title by representing his country in the United Cup
in Perth and Sydney in the first week of the new year. (Reporting by
Reuters TV; Writing by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Sonali Paul)
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