Novak Djokovic has called out a fellow blockbuster sportsman after his emotional Olympics success.
Novak Djokovic has called out Tadej Pogacar. (Image: Getty)
Novak Djokovic has jokingly teased that he is eyeing a career in cycling once he calls time on his era of tennis dominance by calling out current UCI world No. 1 Tadej Pogacar.
Djokovic – widely considered the greatest tennis player of all time – has fired a light-hearted warning at his cycling counterpart.
Pogacar further established his reputation as the current best cyclist on the planet by winning a third Tour de France with UCI WorldTeam UAE Team Emirates this summer.
Djokovic did the same on the tennis court by finally – at the fifth time of asking – clinching his maiden Olympic gold medal in Paris.
The 37-year-old achieved glory for Serbia by narrowly beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 7-6 in an incredible match at Roland Garros.
His emotional victory gained vengeance after Alcaraz recorded a straight-sets triumph of his own earlier in the summer, beating Djokovic in a second successive Wimbledon final.
The 21-year-old Spaniard will be going for his third Grand Slam of 2024 – and third of the bounce after the French Open and Wimbledon – at the US Open later this yea
Djokovic is also set to compete in New York in a defence of his 24th and most recent major title, which he lifted by beating Daniil Medvedev 6-3 7-6 6-3.
He decided against playing in the Canadian Open and defending his Cincinnati Open crown – two Masters 1000 events – after his 2024 Olympics success.
But Djokovic has commenced his preparations for the US Open, posting a video of a training bike ride on Instagram to excite his followers.
The tennis icon was being filmed in a woodland setting before calling out Pogacar directly to the camera and launching an aggressive attack on his training partners.
He doubled down on his message to Pogacar, captioning the post: “Back in training. Setting new goals. Next stop, Tour de France. I’m coming for you, Tadej Pogacar.”
The US Open starts on Monday, August 26, and runs until Sunday, September 8, with the men’s and women’s champions set to receive £2.8million.
Djokovic is vying to etch his name further into the history books with a fifth US Open success, which would draw him level with Roger Federer and American duo Jimmy Connors and Peter Sampras.
Alcaraz is the current favourite to win a second US Open title, followed by Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner and third-favourite Djokovic