"He's planning to play Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028" - Novak Djokovic's coach rules out Serbian considering retirement after next Grand Slam

Novak Djokovic's coach Goran Ivanisevic has spoken about the Serbian's competitive spirit by joking about him participating in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

On Sunday, Djokovic made history by winning the 2023 US Open title. By defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final of the New York Major, he became the oldest player to win the tournament in the Open Era, surpassing Ken Rosewall.

It was also the 36-year-old's 24th Grand Slam title, an Open Era record. He broke his tie with Serena Williams and is now level with Margaret Court's all-time record for singles Majors in tennis history.

Speaking at a press conference, Ivanisevic was asked whether Djokovic would be satisfied with his career if he won another Major next year. In reply, the former World No. 2 joked that his pupil has plans to compete at the 2028 Olympics.

"That question you have to ask him when he comes very soon. I don't think so. No, no, he's planning to play Olympic Games in Los Angeles," he said with a laugh.

"When is this, 2028? You know what's going in his head. It's like 24 hours something to achieve. So I don't think so," Ivanisevic added.

Ivanisevic further stated that Djokovic's competitive spirit does not allow him to rest on his laurels. He went on to add that Djokovic is taking utmost care to be at his best, both physically and mentally, as he has the hunger to achieve more success.

"He [is] just enjoying, he likes the challenges. Like you ask me 25, yeah, if he wins 25, he's going to think, If I win 25, why not 26? It's always one more, something more. He's taking care of his body, he's taking care of everything, every single detail has to be perfect, prepared. He's never happy on the court. I don't know if that's good or bad, not good for us," he said with a smile.

"Generally, he just does drives him through and he wants more and more. That's why he wants to everything perfect to be on the court, on the practice, and that's why he has unbelievable results," Ivanisevic added.

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"Grand Slams, Olympics are for him the most important" - Goran Ivanisevic on Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic (L) and Goran Ivanisevic.

Goran Ivanisevic has stated that Novak Djokovic does not take records lightly and doesn't joke about them ever.

During the trophy presentation after the 2023 US Open final, Daniil Medvedev joked that he is happy to have won 20 titles in his career while Djokovic has 24 Grand Slams alone.

"I feel like I have not a bad career and I have 20 titles, you have 24 Grand Slams, wow," the Russian said.

Asked about Medvedev's joke about Djokovic's career triumphs, Ivanisevic said that the 36-year-old does not take anything lightly. While he admitted that it's difficult to motivate oneself for smaller tournaments, Djokovic's mentality is completely different when it comes to Majors and the Olympics.

"We're not joking about the numbers. You know, he taking numbers very serious. It's always something more to achieve. I know it's not easy to motivate yourself for the smaller tournaments. It's always Grand Slams, Olympics are for him the most important," he said.

"But to play well at the big tournaments, you have to motivate yourself on the smaller tournaments, to put yourself ready and competitive for the big ones, like he did in Cincinnati, and he came here playing very good tennis. After that unbelievable match with Carlos in Cincinnati, that help him to maybe overcome Wimbledon and just gain some more confidence for this one. So numbers are very important," Ivanisevic added.