Having now clinched the 400 weeks and world number 1, I have to imagine that some part of Novak’s motivation tank is getting empty.

  1. Clinched 400 and Ye1
  2. He’s 2 clear of Rafa in the slam race and it’s unlikely Rafa will get there given his health
  3. His family (parents) have said they would like him to retire and start a life outside tennis. I suspect they are getting to an age where they just want to be with their kids and grandkids
  4. Outside of the Olympics, there aren’t any true milestones for him to chase.

Does 25 or 26 or 27 slams really make that much of a difference to him? I know that he himself has often talked about playing for many years but I have to wonder if he will wake up one day and just find that he’s ready to be done.

  • 614981630BEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Olympics, Wimbledon but the milestones aside, his current competition like Medvedev, Alcaraz, Rune, Sinner are also motivating him to continue playing and keep working on his tennis game. His performance against Medvedev in last year’s dead rubber ATP finals match is unforgettable for me.

    • NoleFandomBEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      Exactly, he didn’t need to win that match. He was already in the semis. But he had something to prove to himself, to the rest of the players and to the tournaments, something along the lines of “I’ll be back and I’ll win.”

  • Duck-fart-poptartBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Either way he’s on the decline of his career. He already takes a lot of time off, I don’t know if it’s motivation or just his love for the game

    • NoleFandomBEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      Do you mean the dusk of his career?

      Coz he just won 3 slams, 2 Masters 1000 titles and 8th YE #1 ranking. I’d not call that a decline.

  • NoleFandomBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Novak’s motivation in his late teens was to reach #1 and win Wimbledon. ☑️

    His motivation in his early 20s was to become the best version of himself and play tennis for the love of the game. ☑️

    His motivation in his late 20s was to get closer to Fedal in the Slam race and Masters 1000 titles and the weeks at #1. Lost Gen be damned. ☑️

    His motivation in the early 30s was to win as many big titles as possible (Slams, Masters 1000, ATP finals) and set himself up as the GOAT. Next Gen be damned. ☑️

    His motivation in his late 30s is to surpass his own records and as a consequence prevent New Gen from winning big titles and taking over #1 ranking. ☑️ In his late 30s he also hopes to do one better for Serbia and win the Olympic Gold medal. TBD