"Beaten Rafael Nadal at his home... I felt the energy from home" - Novak Djokovic on feeling 'more pressure' at US Open than during Olympics title run

Novak Djokovic recently gave his thoughts on the pressure that he faced at the Paris Olympics and the US Open. The Serb insisted that while his campaign at the French capital before the gold medal match gave him great confidence, he wasn't too convinced with his preparations for the New York Major, where he suffered his earliest exit since 2006.

Djokovic had failed to win a single title in the first six months of the 2024 ATP Tour season, casting a shadow of doubt over his Olympic prospects. However, the 24-time Major winner hit a rich vein of form at the quadrennial event that was held at Roland Garros.

The 37-year-old won his first five matches in Paris with little resistance from his opponents, which included a 6-1, 6-4 drubbing of his archrival Rafael Nadal. He would his first-ever gold medal later in the fortnight, defeating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2) in the men's singles final.

Novak Djokovic was not under much pressure during his Olympics campaign, going by his recent comments to RTS Sport. And while the World No. 4 did concede that the knee injury he suffered at the 2024 French Open was a factor, he admitted that beating Rafael Nadal on the latter's "home" was a much-needed confidence booster for him.

"I always feel, so to say, ’general’ pressure that I always have to win," Djokovic told RTS Sport (translated via Tennis Majors). "The Olympics were my main goal. I was very worried after the knee injury at Roland-Garros, but when I managed to play the finals at Wimbledon, I was relieved since I knew I would be ready for the Olympics.

"On the other hand, there is what I like to call ’additional’ pressure, which depends on the form. Ahead of the finals in Paris, I haven’t lost a set, I’ve beaten Nadal at his home – although he was not at his best, but still, beating him in Paris is something huge," he added.

The 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist added that he felt more pressure at Flushing Meadows, as he felt he wasn't in great shape there.

"I felt the energy and support from home as well, so that ’additional pressure’ was lower than usual," he added. "In New York, for instance, I felt that it wasn’t me on the court, that I was not well-prepared, so I felt more additional pressure ahead of every match compared to before the finals at the Olympics."

Djokovic is a four-time champion at the US Open (2011, 2015, 2018, 2023). He won his first two matches in straight sets in New York, before going out 4-6, 4-6, 6-2, 4-6 to 28th-seeded Alexei Popyrin in the third round.

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Novak Djokovic on representing Serbia at the Games: "I started to feel the importance of it after playing my first Olympics"

The Serb celebrates his Olympic triumph (Source: Getty)

Novak Djokovic also disclosed that playing under the Serbian flag at the Olympics became an integral part of his tennis career after the 2008 Beijing Games.

“Tennis is not a ’classic’ Olympic sport, compared to some other sports," Djokovic said. "I always followed the Olympics, our (Serbian) athletes in particular, but I really started to feel the importance and the weight of it after I played my first Olympics and after I experienced the Olympic village for the first time."

The 24-time Major is one of the most decorated players in the singles tennis competition at the quadrennial event. He secured a bronze medal in his first outing in Beijing before finishing fourth at the 2012 London Olympics. The Serb then suffered a first-round upset in Rio four years later, following it up with another fourth-place result at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Following his US Open exit, Djokovic is next scheduled to compete at the Shanghai Masters.