Monte Carlo: World No.1 and newly-crowned Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic will be competing at the Tokyo Olympics, the Serbian confirmed in a Twitter video chat with a young Japanese fan on Thursday.
“Cannot disappoint my little friend Koujirou. I booked my flight for Tokyo and will proudly be joining #TeamSerbia for the Olympics,” wrote Djokovic captioning the video. After his great pals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics, gossips were on whether Djoko will fly to Tokyo or not.
“With much pride I’m packing for Tokyo and joining our national team in the fight for the brightest medals at the Olympic arenas,” he added.
Soon after his sixth Wimbledon triumph, Djoko also expressed concerns about the stringent COVID-19 protocols for the athletes at the Tokyo Olympics and the lack of fans in the Games. The 20-time Grand Slam winner felt ‘divided’ over his Olympics participation and even claimed that the chances were 50-50.
Cannot disappoint my little friend Koujirou. I booked my flight for Tokyo and will proudly be joining #TeamSerbia for the Olympics. 🇷🇸 pic.twitter.com/23TmSdvc4x
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) July 15, 2021
“My plan was always to go to Olympic Games, but right now I’m a little bit divided,” Djokovic had said. “It’s kind of 50-50 because of what I heard in the last couple days. I also hear that there’s going to be a lot of restrictions within the (Athletes’) Village.”
“Possibly you would not be able to see other athletes perform live. I can’t even have my stringer that is a very important part of my team. I’m limited with the amount of people I can take in my team as well,” he added.
Djokovic always wanted to win Olympic gold for Serbia and that desire might have played a significant role in his decision. Furthermore, he will be representing his country at the Olympics for the fourth time in his career.
Djokovic was knocked out in the first round of the 2016 Rio Olympics by Juan Martin del Potro. He also lost to Del Potro in the bronze medal match at the 2012 London Olympics, and to Rafael Nadal in the semifinals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The 34-year-old is also on the cusp of claiming a Calendar Golden Slam. Having already won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon this year, Djoko needs to win the US Open and a Tokyo gold to become the first man in the Open Era to sweep all titles.
