Novak Djokovic has revealed he has been inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James and Tom Brady as he targets playing into his 40s.
The 38-year-old has gone two years without winning a grand slam title, having been usurped by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, but he is not yet thinking about hanging up his racquet.
Djokovic highlighted the long careers of basketball star James, footballer Ronaldo and now-retired American football quarterback Tom Brady as he reflected on what keeps him motivated.
Speaking in Riyadh ahead of appearing at an exhibition event, Djokovic said: “Longevity is one of my biggest motivations. I really want to see how far I can go.
“If you see across all the global sports, LeBron James, he is still going strong, he is 40, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tom Brady played until he was 40-something years old – it is unbelievable.
“They are inspiring me as well so I want to keep going, that is one of the motivations I have.”
Djokovic, who co-founded the Professional Tennis Players Association in 2020, is also hoping to use his influence to improve the sport.
Leading players are pushing the grand slams for a greater share of revenue, while the PTPA launched lawsuits against tennis’ governing bodies earlier this year in an effort to force through changes.
Djokovic added: “I want to also live to see – ‘live’ meaning keep on playing professionally – what is coming for our sport, and I am super excited about it.
“These are things I can’t be openly speaking about at the moment but, in the next couple of years, I feel like tennis is a sport that can be greatly transformed.
“I want to be part of that change, not just part of their change but I want to be playing when we kind of rejuvenate our sport and set the new platform that is going to go on for decades to come.”
https://thewest.com.au/sport/djokovic-to-follow-lead-of-the-40-something-greats-c-20376634
