French Open quarterfinals live stream (Photo : Getty Images)
Novak Djokovic admitted he is thinking about surpassing the Grand Slam record of his career rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, but the Serb insisted his focus remains on one-game at a time.
Djokovic may be on track to becoming one of tennis' greatest of all time as he has been playing the best performance of his career in the past two seasons.
With his dominating presence in the sport coming into fruition, the Serb could be in pole position to eclipse Federer and Nadal's Grand Slam wins of 14 and 17, respectively. While Djokovic confessed he has been thinking of achieving such feat, the Belgrade native insisted he has a more realistic approach for a better Grand Slam record than what the King of Clay and Swiss Maestro have.
"I would lie if I said that I cannot do it. I really think to be able to do that and to get great results in my career. But if you think too much you can get distracted and I want to remain focused," Djokovic told Mundo Deportivo as translated by Tennis World USA.
"I am 29 and am not so young anymore to be a tennis player, even if I intend to play for many years. I do not see my end, I do not think about when I will stop playing, so while I play tennis I hope to maintain this level and to have chances to win still many titles.'
Djokovic will have a chance to get closer to Federer and Nadal's total tallies when the Serb competes at the French Open later this month. But in all of Djokovic's appearances on the clay-courts of Stade Roland Garros, the 28-year-old has yet to find success after two-straight years of making it into the final round of the tournament.
This year, Djokovic seem to have a better shot at finally winning a title in Paris, considering the state of his rivals heading into the second Grand Slam event of the year.
Federer has yet to impress after undergoing surgery to his left knee earlier this year, while fellow Swiss and French Open defending champ Stan Wawrinka also has his fair share of struggles, most recently at the Madrid Open, where he was defeated by in the second round by Australia's Nick Kyrgios 7-6(7) 7-6(2).
Nadal, although showing promising performances that earned back-to-back titles in Madrid and Barcelona, is still far from his vintage form that garnered him nine French Open titles. Andy Murray, whom Djokovic faces in the final round of the Madrid Open, is also experiencing a dry spell and even a win at the ATP 1000 Masters event in the Spanish capital is unlikely to change his odds.
If Djokovic could avoid a rare early round loss like what he sustained in Monaco, he may well be on his way to win the French Open this year, which could hopefully translate into a momentum of winning more major titles to tie or surpass Nadal and Federer in Grand Slam records.
