Djokovic says he is ‘not ready yet’ to pass the torch

Novak Djokovic is not planning to “pass the torch” to the next generation just yet, as the 36-year-old Serb proving age is just a number by becoming the oldest man in the Open Era to lift the U.S. Open trophy on Sunday.

“Occasionally asking myself, why do I need this still at this stage after all I have done, you know? How long do I want to keep going? I do have these questions in my head, of course,” said Djokovic.

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“Knowing that I play at such a high level still and I win the biggest tournaments in this sport, yeah, I don’t want to get rid of this sport or I don’t want to leave this sport if I’m still at the top. My team, my family knew that the last 24 hours, don’t touch me, don’t speak to me about, you know, the history of what’s on the line,” he said.

“I really did my best to keep things quite simple and stick to the routines that brought me to where I am and treat this match really as any other match where I just need to win. You know, players come and go, It will be the same kind of destiny for me. Eventually one day I will leave tennis in about 23, 24 years. And there is going to be new young players coming up. Until then, I guess you’ll see me a bit more.”, he said with a smile on his face.