The Serb is currently sixth in the race to qualifying for the year-end championships in Turin, Italy, having vaulted himself into qualifying position for a 17th time by reaching the final at the Shanghai Rolex Masters in China earlier this month. But with chasing players, including Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Alex de Minaur and Grigor Dimitrov, all consistently playing in the season’s late weeks, Djokovic’s qualification remains far from a sure bet.
The 37-year-old has posted a 37-9 record this season, including winning a long-chased gold medal at the Paris Olympics, and is currently No. 4 in the ATP rankings. But he admitted at Roland Garros in the spring, a tournament cut short for him due to a knee injury, that he was most motivated at this stage of his career to play Grand Slam tournaments and for his country.
“It’s true that I’m focused pretty much solely on Grand Slams and Olympics this year and playing for my country, really. That’s something that really drives me the most today,” he said.
