Novak Djokovic may not chase the Golden Grand Slam after all. The World No 1 revealed that he was ‘divided’ over whether or not to participate at the Tokyo Olympics, which begin on July 23.
“I’ll have to think about it,” Djokovic said after his 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 win over Matteo Berrettini in the Wimbledon final.
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“As I said, my plan was always to go to the Olympic Games. But right now I’m a little bit divided. It’s kind of 50/50 because of what I heard in the last couple of days.”
Djokovic also went level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for most number of men’s singles Grand Slam titles: 20.
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He is in line to become the first male player since Rod Laver in 1969 to win a calendar Grand Slam after winning Wimbledon.
His triumph in Sunday’s final, over Italian first-time Grand Slam finalist Berrettini, meant he had clinched the first three majors of the year.
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If he does participate and win at Tokyo Olympics, he will become the first male player in tennis history to win a Golden Grand Slam.
Steffi Graf is the only tennis player to have achieved that feat. She won all the four majors and the gold medal at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
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But the strict protocols in place in Tokyo due to the virus may derail Djokovic’s plans. The Olympics have announced that neither foreign fans nor athletes’ family members will allowed during the Summer Games.
“That was really disappointing to hear. I also hear that there’s going to be a lot of restrictions within the Village,” said Djokovic.
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“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. I’ll have to think about it.”
Star players like Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Dominic Thiem and Nick Kyrgios have already withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics.
