Novak Djokovic is no longer motivated by the sheer number of titles he could potentially win or the number of weeks he could stay on top of the ATP world rankings. In a press conference Friday in Belgrade, the reigning world's no.1 revealed this sudden change of mindset after dominating the game the past 3 to 4 years.
Djokovic, though he stressed that he's still pretty much in love with the game, admitted that he had put too much pressure on him following his monumental victory at Roland Garros. The Serb added he didn't enjoy playing with enormous pressure at all, and thus feels that a change of mindset is necessary for his career.
"I don't want to think about winning titles and being the No 1 any more in order to avoid putting pressure on myself," Djokovic told reporters via Daily Mail during an open training session days after withdrawing from China Open. "I put too much pressure on myself after winning this year's Roland Garros and I didn't like it."
All in all, 2016 is still a great year for Djokovic, who bagged two Grand Slam titles and completed a career Grand Slam after winning the French Open for the first time ever.
He still leads world's no.2 Andy Murray by more than 4,500 points in the ATP world rankings, though an extended absent in the circuit could open the door for the Briton to narrow that gap.
On Thursday, Djokovic released a statement informing China Open organizers of his decision to skip the tournament where he is six-time champion. The elbow injury that bothered him throughout his US Open campaign continues to flare up, requiring more time for recuperation.
Nevertheless, Djokovic is expected to defend his points in the three remaining big tournaments: the Shanghai Masters, Paris Masters and the year-ender ATP World Tour Finals in London.