Djokovic Eager to Push His Limits after 9th Major Title

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Djokovic Eager to Push His Limits after 9th Major Title

So, what’s it like to move past Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Ken Rosewall and Fred Perry on the all-time Grand Slam titles list, all with one title? Three different generations of greats, all in one fell swoop?

Recap: Djokovic Fights off Federer to Win Third Wimbledon Title

“It sounds unreal, honestly.” Djokovic told ESPN’s Brad Gilbert and Darren Cahill after his 7-6(1), 6-7(10), 6-4, 6-3 victory over Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final on Sunday. “To be on that list and to be mentioned in the same sentence with these names and group of legends, people who have made history in our sport—it’s just thrilling.”

While relieved to have responded to his stunning French Open final defeat at the hands of Stan Wawrinka in the most positive of ways, Djokovic is already looking forward to keeping his momentum going into this summer and beyond.

“It’s a motivation—even a responsibility to keep on going and to try to see how far I can get,” he said.

The Serb, now the owner of nine Grand Slam titles and 200 Grand Slam match wins, admitted once again that losing at the French Open at the final step weighed heavy on his heart for a while this spring.

“I’ve experienced the highs and lows in these five, six weeks,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, of course playing finals at the French Open is a great achievement as well. Continuously getting to that step but not managing to win it was tough on me, this year especially.”

But he said that having Wimbledon so close on the calendar actually helped him regain focus and start moving forward again.

“As soon as I was here and as soon as I was together with my team and as soon as I played the first point at Wimbledon I understood why this tournament is so special and I got that motivation back again,” he said.

Now that he’s become just the sixth man in the Open Era to claim three or more Wimbledon titles, Djokovic said that he’s taking nothing for granted.

“It’s a thrilling feeling,” he said. “It’s an incredible honor to be up there and I’m proud of everything I’ve achieved together with my team and close ones. We don’t take anything for granted. We understand the effort that we had to put in and the work we had to undertake in order to be there and win nine Slams.”

He considers himself very fortunate to be in the position he’s in, gaining mention among the greatest to ever play the sport and still very much in his prime at 28. And now that he’s come this far, Djokovic is intent to keep pushing himself to new heights.

“If you would have asked me as a 14-year-old back in Serbia trying to find my way that this is how I’m going to end up a 28, of course I would have signed the deal and take it right away,” he told reporters after the final on Sunday. “There were a couple of Grand Slam finals that I think I could have won, but having said that everything happens for a reason. I try to learn from every experience, especially the ones that don’t end up victorious for me.”

He added: “I’m going to keep going. I’m 28, I feel good—I don’t feel old. I have hopefully many more years in front of me. I’m going to try to push my own limits and see how far I can go with titles and with myself, playing at this high level.”

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