Novak Djokovic exudes confidence, says 'I can win the gold medal' at Tokyo Olympics

Novak Djokovic has been in the prime of his life in the last few years as he has come out on top in almost all the major Grand Slam tournaments. Djokovic has won all the three Grand Slams this year and has a great opportunity to win the 'Golden Slam' if he wins an Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and then goes on to emerge triumphant at the US Open. But more importantly, he equaled his fierce rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal after he successfully retained his Wimbledon title on July 11 as the modern-day terrific trio of world tennis now have 20 career Grand Slam titles each.

Last week, Novak Djokovic had confirmed his participation in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and lately, the Serbian icon has said that he is confident of clinching gold in this edition of the quadrennial event.

Tokyo Olympics: Novak Djokovic confident of clinching gold at the marquee tournament

“It came down to patriotism and my feelings for Serbia. I am not overjoyed about playing with no fans present or about the various coronavirus restrictions effective in Japan. But representing your country in the Olympics is indispensable. I came across Blanka Vlasic a few days ago and she said that people will only remember who won the medals, not what the conditions were like or whether there were any fans or not", said Novak Djokovic as quoted by  Montenegro’s MINA news agency.

“Her words stuck with me and I am delighted that I decided to take part in the Olympics. I am inspired to play my best tennis and confident that I can win the gold medal after a tremendous run so far this season", the reigning Wimbledon champion added.

“The Olympics and the US Open are obviously my biggest objectives for the remainder of the season, and it’s going to be demanding. But I am full of confidence and motivated to represent Serbia in the best possible way. I am yearning for a medal in Tokyo, hopefully, gold, and then I’ll go to New York aiming to complete it all", the 'Djoker' added.

Novak Djokovic in Olympics Games

Novak Djokovic finished as the bronze medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He enjoyed an outstanding run in that year's event but a  6-4 1-6 6-4 loss in the semi-final to the eventual gold medalist Rafael Nadal meant that the then-upcoming tennis sensation was out of contention from the gold medal match. However, he successfully overcame USA's James Blake  6-3 7-6 in the loser's final to finish with the third-biggest prize of the prestigious tournament.

Four years later i.e. in 2012, the 'Djoker' yet again enjoyed a brilliant run in London as he made a second consecutive semi-final appearance but sadly, a  7-5, 7-5 to future gold medalist Andy Murray halted his progress in the tournament. Just like the previous edition, Djokovic could take home the bronze medal once again provided he won the loser's final. Nonetheless, a  7-5, 6-4 defeat to  Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro meant that he had to go back empty-handed.

At Rio Olympics 2016, a mighty Novak Djokovic who was making his third straight appearance at the mega event was arguably the hot favorite to finish on top of the podium. Unfortunately, his tournament ended even before it could take off as he went down  7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-2) in the opening round. 

Surprisingly, it was Novak Djokovic's 2012 Olympic Games loser's final opponent Juan Martin Del Potro who once again turned out to be the Serbian's tormentor-in-chief as Djokovic was seen crying inconsolably after a shocking exit as his wait for the prestigious Olympic gold medal prolonged.