Novak Djokovic has confirmed that he will be competing at the Tokyo Olympics, which begin on July 23.
The Serb is bidding to become the first male player to win a ‘Golden Grand Slam’ (winning all four majors and an Olympic gold in the same year).
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
He has won the first three Grand Slams of the season so far.
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He had expressed doubts over his Olympic participation after winning the Wimbledon title on Sunday. Djokovic, 34, posted Thursday on Twitter that he had booked his flight and was proud to represent Serbia at the Olympics.
“Cannot disappoint my little friend Koujirou,” the Serb tweeted. “I booked my flight for Tokyo and will proudly be joining #TeamSerbia for the Olympics.”
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Steffi Graf is the only tennis player to have won the Golden Grand Slam in 1988.
While Djokovic is headed for Tokyo, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Nick Kyrgios are among the top men’s players who won’t be competing in the Olympics.
Kerber, Azarenka out
Meanwhile, the list of absentees on the women’s side grew longer as former Grand Slam champions Angelique Kerber and Victoria Azarenka announced their withdrawals on Thursday.
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“I would like to inform everyone that I have made the very difficult decision to not play in the Tokyo Olympics,” Azarenka posted on Twitter. She had won the mixed doubles gold, with Max Mirnyi, and a bronze medal in singles at the London Olympics in 2012.
“I have many amazing memories winning the gold while competing and representing Belarus in previous Games,” she added.
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“But with all the challenges we are facing as it relates to the pandemic, I know in my heart this is the right decision for myself and the team.”
The 33-year-old Kerber cited fatigue as the reason she had pulled out.
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The German played three tournaments in the past month and won in Bad Homburg. She had also reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon Championship.
