Novak Djokovic may have lost the Shanghai Masters final yesterday, but he exits China still full of pride.
After all, following a tough 2024 in which he has suffered some really unexpected early exits, to reach the grand finale of a Masters 1000 event marked a raging success.
And, losing to Jannik Sinner is no insult either, as the best player in the world by some distance this year.
Asked to look back upon a challenging campaign, Novak Djokovic was frank in his assessment.
Novak Djokovic reviews his 2024
Speaking to the Shanghai Masters press after his loss in the final, the 37-year-old was quizzed about the year he has endured.
After all, on paper, it has not been nearly as successful as the many that have come before it.
However, whilst Djokovic was not afraid of admitting that, he took solace in the fact that he still had one thing to be proud of.
He told reporters: ‘Well, I mean, comparing to most of my seasons throughout my career, this has been one of the worst-performing seasons in terms of results.
‘But, you know, it was going to come at some point where, you know, I wouldn’t win Slams and maintain that highest level for so many years in a row.
‘And that’s okay, I’m happy with my gold medal from Olympics. That was the main goal for this year. And, you know, of course I wish that I could have gotten at least a Grand Slam title or won big title, but it’s fine, you know, it is what it is.
‘It’s a kind of a season that you just have to accept, embrace, and I’m more than happy with what I have achieved throughout my career, so I’ll just, yeah, see what next challenges bring to me.’
He also remained very magnanimous in defeat in his on-court interview too, with Djokovic joking with Roger Federer, who watched on from the stands.
Novak Djokovic has completed tennis this year
As Djokovic states, the Serbian accomplished all he wanted this year by winning just one title.
After all, it was the accolade that had eluded him throughout a sparkling, legendary career: the Olympic gold medal.
By winning that, anything else that had occurred in 2024 became unimportant, especially given how he has won all there is to win anyway.
There was no Grand Slam title that he hasn’t claimed multiple times, and no Masters 1000 triumph that would have added to his legacy. In that respect, he is already very much on top.
But, with players like Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal both boasting gold medals, he knew what he had to do in 2024.
By accomplishing it, he staved off such crushing pressure in remarkable fashion, and has essentially completed tennis.
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