Novak Djokovic is closing in on something that no man has achieved before, but for the Serbian “pressure is a privilege”.
Steffi Graf is the only tennis player to have won all four Grand Slams and an Olympic gold in the same year before. But the 34-year-old Serbian is three-fifths of the way there, needing a Tokyo gold and then the US Open trophy to match the German's 1988 feat.
Talk of the “Golden Slam” has dominated every press conference Djokovic has attended since he won the third Major of the year at Wimbledon this month. But the steely-eyed Serbian seems to thrive under pressure.
“Pressure is a privilege,” Djokovic said when asked about the attention on him after reaching the singles quarterfinals and also winning a mixed doubles match on Wednesday. “Without pressure there is no professional sport. If you are aiming to be at the top of the game you better start learning how to deal with pressure. And how to cope with those moments on the court but also off the court, all the expectations.”
Athletes such as tennis superstar Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles have highlighted the immense pressures on them, raising questions about whether global sporting figures get enough support for mental health.
At the athletes’ village, Djokovic has been swamped with requests for photographs with competitors from other disciplines and many of them have been doing the rounds on social media.
“All that buzz and noise is something that I can’t say I don’t see or I don’t hear. Of course it’s there,” the 20-time Major winner said. “But I’ve learnt, I’ve developed the mechanism how to deal with it in such a way that it will not distract me and will not wear me down. I feel I have enough experience to teach myself how to step on the court and play my best tennis.”
Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev gave a frank assessment of the stifling conditions for Olympic tennis on Wednesday, when the visibly upset Russian told the umpire he could finish his match but wanted to know who would take responsibility if he died.
The International Tennis Federation, in charge of the competition at the Games, said matches will begin from 3pm local time from Thursday, instead of the scheduled 11am start.
“In the interests of player health and welfare and after extensive consultation, the ITF has announced a change of schedule due to the increasing heat and humidity currently being experienced in Tokyo,” the governing body said.
Medvedev was the first player to appeal for a delayed start and received support from Djokovic.
“Tennis needs to be considered as one of the endurance sports,” said the Serbian world No.1. “I have played tennis professionally for 20 years and I’ve never faced these kinds of conditions on a consecutive daily basis.”
Second-ranked Medvedev opened proceedings at 11am on Ariake Tennis Park’s main show court against Italian Fabio Fognini.
The 25-year-old took a medical timeout on court and called the trainer on two other occasions, and chair umpire Carlos Ramos asked Medvedev if he was all right during the second set.
“I’m fine. I can finish the match but I can die. If I die will the ITF take responsibility?” Medvedev replied.
The ITF’s “extreme weather policy” allows a 10-minute break between the second and third sets if agreed by both players and Medvedev used that time to get a freezing cold shower.
“Even from the first set I didn’t feel good enough with my breathing. That’s why I called the physio, I felt as if my diaphragm was blocked,” he said.
“And then in the second set, I just had darkness in my eyes, like between every point, I didn't know what to do to feel better.”
While Medvedev said he was “lucky” he could continue his match to advance, Spain’s Paula Badosa gave up after suffering heatstroke during her match against Czech Marketa Vondrousova.
She needed a lengthy medical timeout but was unable to recover and left the court in a wheelchair.
— Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.