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Djokovic won bronze in Beijing 2008 and fell
short in London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo two years ago, but the
Serbian who will turn 37 before the next Games begin is still
fighting fit after claiming three Grand Slam titles in 2023.
The world number one also made the Wimbledon final earlier this
year, where he was beaten in five sets by Carlos Alcaraz, and he
is in no mood to slow down.
"My plan for now is to play the Olympic Games, so I'm hoping
that I will be able to play, that I will be ready physically and
mentally," Djokovic told reporters in Valencia, where he turned
up to play in the Davis Cup just days after his U.S. Open
triumph.
"It's going to be a very congested and challenging schedule next
year, with Roland Garros on clay, Wimbledon on grass, the
Olympics on clay and then the U.S. Open and the tournaments
before that on hardcourts.
"It's going to be challenging for players, but my plan is to
play the Olympics, because it's one of the most important events
in the history of the sport. That's where you also represent the
country and the feeling of being part of it is a huge honor."
Djokovic missed Serbia's 3-0 victory over South Korea in the
Finals group stage this week as he was travelling, but is likely
to feature against a Spain side missing Alcaraz on Friday.
"I don't feel very fresh, obviously, after an exhausting several
months with a lot of tennis and a lot of matches but I think
this is in a way a positive tiredness I feel because of the
success I had in America," Djokovic said.
"There's not much time to recover, I have to maintain the
intensity and do everything I can to adapt my body to the new
time zone, new conditions and be able to contribute to my
country with a point."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru)
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