After grabbing hold of his sixth Wimbledon title, Novak Djoković was surprisingly uncertain if he’d make the trip to Tokyo and represent Team Serbia for the upcoming Olympic Games. Djokovic’s initial enthusiasm was understandably dampened given the COVID-19 restrictions that would prevent fans and most of his team from attending.
“My plan was always to go to Olympic Games, but right now I’m a little bit divided,” Djoković said. “It’s kind of 50-50 because of what I heard in the last couple days.”
Djoković ended speculation on Thursday when he shared a message with Koujirou Owaki, a young Japanese fan and aspiring player.
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
Olympic gold remains the one major achievement Djoković is yet to win. He won a bronze medal in his first Olympic appearance but finished just off the podium four years later in London. Favored to break through in Rio, Djoković suffered a second Olympic defeat to Juan Martin del Potro in the opening round.
With many notable players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Dominic Thiem all dropping out, it will be interesting to see if his dream of taking home gold will unfold in 2021.
Koujirou and Serbia will surely be cheering him to victory.
Source: tennis.com, photo: Peter van den Berg, USA TODAY Sports