IMAGE: World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has set his eyes on the elusive Olympic gold medal. Photograph: Francois Nel/Getty Images
Novak Djokovic said he is already looking forward to next year’s Olympic Games in Paris, as he seeks to win a gold medal that has so far eluded him in an otherwise glittering career.
World number one Djokovic won a bronze medal in Beijing 2008 but has been unable to build on that in 2012, 2016 and 2021. The Serbian said he hopes to be fit and healthy for next year’s showpiece, by which time he will be 37.
The tennis competition at Paris 2024 will be held on the clay courts of Roland Garros where Djokovic has won two of his 22 Grand Slam titles — in 2016 and 2021.
“I look forward to the Olympics,” Djokovic told reporters after beating Tallon Griekspoor in Dubai on Wednesday. “I hope I’ll be able to play healthy for next year in Paris.
“It’s going to be played on clay at Roland Garros, so I’m familiar with those grounds. I hope the best Olympic result for me will come there.”
Australian Open champion Djokovic is into a record-breaking 378th week at number one after surpassing Steffi Graf and said he was hungry for more records and success.
“I always try to be very clear with myself what the goals are, what I want from competitive tennis,” Djokovic said.
“This is the way I’ve been brought up and taught by some of the key people in my life, including my parents, and some of the coaches I had early on.
“This kind of mentality helped me to always be so devoted to the game. I always remind myself it’s the willpower, the desire to succeed that’s an essential ingredient in the whole formula.”
IMAGE: Katie Volynets pulled off a stunning win over third-seeded Anastasia Potapova in Austin, Texas in the ATX Open. Photograph: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
WTA Roundup: Katie Volynets escapes 5-0, third-set hole
Meanwhile, in the ongoing ATX Open in Austin, United States’ Katie Volynets pulled off an upset win.
Down 5-0 and a match point in the third set, the Volynets rallied to upset third-seeded Anastasia Potapova of Russia 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 on Wednesday in the second round of the ATX Open.
Volynets heated up while winning the last seven games, as she lost just one point total in the final three games. The result moves the 21-year-old into a WTA Tour quarterfinal for the first time.
Up next for Volynets is a matchup against hometown favourite Peyton Stearns, who won the 2022 NCAA women’s singles championship for the University of Texas. Stearns downed Sweden’s Mirjam Bjorklund 6-3, 7-5 in second-round action.
Fourth-seeded Sloane Stephens of the United States defeated Great Britain’s Heather Watson 6-4, 6-4, and Varvara Gracheva produced a 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1 win in an all-Russian matchup against Anna Blinkova.
Abierto GNP Seguros
Third-seeded Donna Vekic of Croatia needed just 80 minutes to rout the United States’ Emma Navarro 6-3, 6-2 in the second round at Monterrey, Mexico.
Vekic put just 48 percent of her first serves in play, but she prevailed by picking on Navarro’s second serve, winning 14 of 18 points. Vekic also saved nine of the 11 break points she faced.
Fifth-seeded Lin Zhu of China registered a 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3 win over Canada’s Rebecca Marino, and Belgium’s Ysaline Bonaventure topped Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova 7-6 (2), 1-6, 6-3.
In the last match of the night, the United States’ Caroline Dolehide eliminated Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2, 6-4.
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