The world number one tennis player, Novak Djokovic, will appear at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This was confirmed directly by Novak Djokovic through an upload on his social media on Friday (16/7/2021).
The announcement came just four days after Djokovic expressed doubts about his participation in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Serbian admitted that he will think twice because he heard that the Covid-19 protocol in Japan was very strict and there was a ban on fans from attending stadiums.
“I have to think about it. My plan is always to appear in the Olympics, but at the moment I’m a little hesitant. The odds are 50-50 because of what I heard the last few days,” Novak Djokovic was quoted as saying by NBC Sports, Sunday (11/7/2021) .
“I also heard that there will be a lot of restrictions in the athletes’ village. Maybe you won’t be able to see other athletes perform in person. In fact, I cannot invite stringers who are an important part of my team. There is a limit to the number of people I can bring in my team,” said Djokovic.
However, now Novak Djokovic has confirmed his participation in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. “I am very proud to prepare for Tokyo and join our national team in fighting for the gold medal in the Olympic arena,” Novak Djokovic said. “For me, the match for Serbia is always a special joy and motivation. I will do my best to make us all happy! Let’s do it,” added Djokovic.
Djokovic’s presence at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics opened up opportunities for him to win the Golden Slam title. The title is pinned to a player who has won 4 Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) plus won an Olympic gold medal in one year.
Novak Djokovic has won three Grand Slam titles this year, namely the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. This means that Djokovic only has to win the US Open and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to become the first male player to win a Golden Slam title.
So far only former women’s singles player, Steffi Graf, has been able to win 4 Grand Slam tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in the same year, namely in 1988. Meanwhile, Djokovic’s victory at Wimbledon 2021 makes him now amassed 20 Grand Slam titles.
The record is equal to the acquisition of the Grand Slam title of his two rivals, namely Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Unlike Djokovic, Federer and Nadal chose not to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Roger Federer was absent due to his focus on recovering from a knee injury, while Nadal wanted to maintain his body fitness so that he could perform longer on the tennis court. Besides Federer and Nadal, a number of world tennis stars are also absent from the Tokyo Olympics, such as Serena Williams, Dominic Thiem, Simona Halep, and Nick Kyrgios.
