Djokovic keen to focus on majors in record bid
NOVAK Djokovic will adjust his schedule as he looks to overhaul Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
The Serb maintained his position as the king of Melbourne with a ninth Australian Open title, courtesy of a 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s final.
It was the 33-year-old’s 18th grand slam singles title, leaving him two behind the men’s record held jointly by Federer and Nadal.
“I’ve said it before, obviously majors, especially at this stage of my career, are the most important events,” he told reporters in Melbourne. “I feel age is just a number. I don’t feel tired or exhausted from playing tennis or from competing at the highest level.
“I know also realistically things are not the same as they were 10 years ago in terms of energy and biology and everything but I feel like I still have a lot of gas in me. I will have to be wiser and smarter with my scheduling in order to save and direct the energy into the tournaments that matter the most, and hopefully I’ll be able to win more majors. That’s something I’ll definitely look forward to as a priority.”
It is unclear when Djokovic will return to action. He revealed he had a second MRI scan yesterday on his abdominal tear, which had grown from 1.7cm when he first sustained it to 2.5cm.
“The damage is bigger than when I did it after the third round,” he said. “It’s not too bad judging by what the doctor said but I’ll have to take some time off for it to heal properly.”
The Australian Open was successfully staged during the coronavirus pandemic. Tournament director Craig Tiley believes he has unearthed a blueprint that other bodies can follow to organise major sports events.
“This was the first time since the start of the pandemic that there was a sport and entertainment event that had crowds and had every top player bar a few that couldn’t make it,” Tiley said. “I think it is a blueprint that works.”