Novak Djokovic on his accomplishments: "End of the day, how many tennis players in history are able to do the things I've achieved?"

Novak Djokovic recently reflected on the magnitude of his unprecedented accomplishments in the realm of tennis.

Djokovic's accomplishments are nothing short of extraordinary. The Serb won three Grand Slam titles last year, bringing his total to a remarkable 24 and solidifying his status as the player with the most Major titles in the Open Era. His stellar achievements in 2023 also included his record seventh ATP Finals title, eighth year-end World No. 1 ranking, and 40th Masters 1000 title.

The World No. 1 was on the hunt for his 25th Grand Slam title at the recently concluded Australian Open. However, he fell short of achieving the feat, losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals in four sets.

While in Melbourne, Novak Djokovic made an appearance on The Today Show, where host Karl Stefanovic asked him about being the player to beat for the younger generations and his reputation for being very hard to vanquish. In response, the Serb expressed his belief in the saying that while his rivals might be able 'kill' him physically, they could never dim his spirit.

"We have a saying in our country, 'You can kill us, our body, but you can never kill our soul and our spirit. I really believe in that," he said (at 2:50).

Djokovic then contemplated his accomplishments, emphasizing that very few players in history have reached the milestones he has. The 24-time Grand Slam champion clarified that his intent wasn't to boast about his achievements but rather to remind himself to savor and appreciate all that he has accomplished.

"In the end of the day, how many tennis players in history are able to do the things that I've done and I've achieved. I'm not saying this to praise myself, I'm saying this to remind myself of, 'Hey, pinch yourself, look where you are and look what you've done.' At the same time, I feel like it's one chapter of my life, there are more chapters to come," he added.

"I give Novak Djokovic a lot of credit; when I played kids like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, I was inspired to stop playing quickly" - John McEnroe

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John McEnroe recently highlighted his and Novak Djokovic's contrasting mindsets when dealing with competition from a younger generation of players. McEnroe stated that whenever there's talk of a 'changing of guard' in tennis, the Serb would rise to the challenge posed by younger rivals like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

"The changing of the guard - when was that going to happen? We keep waiting for it. Novak has played Sinner, [Carlos] Alcaraz, he's risen to the occasion. And he was inspired, he said, by these players," he told Eurosport.

McEnroe credited Djokovic for staying committed to his career and revealed that he, in contrast, had been motivated to retire faster when faced with formidable challengers like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi towards the end of his playing days.

"When I played those young kids like [Pete] Sampras and [Andre] Agassi, I was inspired to stop playing quickly, because those guys were too good, so I give Novak a lot of credit," he added.