The final of the Olympic tournament was without doubt the most spectacular match of the season to date and crowned Nole as one of the best athletes of the modern era. After the Olympic triumph, the Serbian legend preferred to skip the Masters 1000 in Montreal and Cincinnati to rest for the US Open. The former world number 1 spent a few days on the boat with his friends before returning to train in Montenegro without any knee protection. Novak is one of the main favorites in New York along with Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and Italian Jannik Sinner.

Guardiola pays tribute to Nole Djokovic

Novak Djokovic’s feat at the Paris Olympics was appreciated all over the world, arousing the admiration of athletes from other sports. The Serbian has once again shown that he has no limits and that age is only a number. After the award ceremony, Novak shocked everyone by saying he would like to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics when he is 41 years old.

During an interview with ‘Arena Sports TV’, top football manager Pep Guardiola paid tribute to Djokovic: “I have no words to describe the greatness of Djokovic, what he did in the final of the Olympic Games against Carlos Alcaraz is incredible. His mentality is really impressive.”

Novak Djokovic continues to break records, even without playing. The last one was won in the last few hours, thanks to the elimination of Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev from the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati. The second position of the Serbian will be maintained, at least until the US Open, in which he will start as number two seed, thus avoiding Jannik Sinner, at least until the final. It will be 597 weeks among the top 2 in the world, an absolutely extraordinary goal, which now places him in first position, breaking Rafael Nadal, who was previously stationary at 596.

After winning the Olympics for the first time in his career, the Serbian top-class athlete decided to skip the two Masters 1000 in Toronto and Cincinnati to regain his physical fitness, in view of the important engagement at Flushing Meadows, where he will defend the title won last year and at the same time try to put on the wall the first ATP trophy this season.

In a recent training session ahead of the last major of the year, the 37-year-old Serb was filmed training without that knee band which accompanied him on his latest appearances at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games. Djokovic is training in Montenegro and looks ready to compete in the US. Some leaps in the air, a new mobility and determination that has always distinguished him. In New York, Nole will try to raise his almost unattainable record of Slam titles to 25, trying to break the fast of seasonal titles.

The Serbian ace is not tired yet

Speaking with Tennis Magazin, Nikola Pilic praised Nole Djokovic: “Novak, the old master, is simply still a different caliber to Alcaraz and Sinner. I don’t want to be subjective here, but he has been named World Sportsman of the Year five times. That is not my subjective opinion, that was decided by independent committees. That speaks for itself and is something very special. Sinner, Alcaraz and others will certainly take over the new generation in one or two years. Novak will be 39 by then, and not everything will be the same as when he was 29. This development is very interesting for me.”

The 24-time Grand Slam champion won’t have much time to get used to the conditions of the courts in New York. The latest rumours suggest that the speed of the courts has increased at the US Open and the top players will need to be very careful. The Serbian legend is the reigning champion of the US Open, but it will not be easy to defend last year’s title. The US Open has been the most uncertain Grand Slam in the last decade.