"I always find an extra motivation to perform at my best when I represent my country" - Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic recently revealed that he always finds an extra gear when it comes to representing his country at international events, such as the Davis Cup and the Olympic Games.

Djokovic led Serbia to the Davis Cup title in 2010 and the finals in 2013. He also won a bronze medal in singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and came close to repeating the feat at the 2012 Games.

With the Tokyo Olympics less than 100 days away, Novak Djokovic spoke with the International Tennis Federation about what motivates him when donning the Serbian jersey.

"I always enjoyed playing at the Olympic Games and always enjoyed representing my country in both the Davis Cup and the Olympic Games," Novak Djokovic said. "Obviously, I don't have too many opportunities to play the Olympic Games as they happen every four years for every athlete."

“I always find an extra motivation to perform at my best when I represent my country” 🇷🇸@DjokerNole is relishing the chance to compete for @Olympics glory and rub shoulders with fellow elite athletes#Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/QWci11DT34

— ITF (@ITFTennis) April 14, 2021

While Novak Djokovic does have a bronze from 2008, he is still chasing his first Olympic gold medal. The Serb went down to Juan Martin del Potro in the bronze medal play-off match at the 2012 Games, and again to Del Potro in the early rounds at Rio 2016.

Against that background, Djokovic claimed that getting his hands on the top prize is something that motivates him a lot, even though he is happy that already does have a bronze.

"It (winning the gold) is one of the dreams of course," Djokovic said. "I don't want to be ungrateful for winning the bronze because that was also a big success. I played the semis in London and lost for third place there. But I always find an extra motivation to perform at my best when I represent my country, especially at the Olympic Games as we all know it is the most historical sports event."

Having an opportunity to be surrounded by elite athletes from other sports is an honor: Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic at the athletes' village during the 2016 Rio Olympics

Novak Djokovic also relived his experience of staying at the Olympic Village during the previous editions of the Games. The 33-year-old considers it an 'honor' to stay with other elite athletes and watch them compete, and he claimed that he is inspired by them to work towards winning a medal.

"Having an opportunity to be surrounded by elite athletes from other sports, getting a chance to see them compete at the highest sporting events is an honor," Djokovic said. "It's a privilege and hopefully I can draw strength from there as well and I can be in good shape, good form, and have a chance to fight for a medal."

Novak Djokovic went on to highlight how the Olympics is a unique event that brings together athletes from different sports, and provides them a common platform to share their experiences and learn from one another.

"(You) kind of interact with athletes, dine with them, they have questions for me, I have questions for them," Djokovic added. "We want to exchange the experiences, share our journies, our life stories, our careers."

"(I) try to pick their brain and understand what they go through so maybe (there is) something that I can actually use in my own career," he added. "But just also to admire the athletes you know, seeing them practice, and seeing them perform. That's the uniqueness of the Olympics and only the Olympic Games can actually offer something like that."