Novak Djokovic eyes ‘more history’ in 2024 season, wants to emulate NFL icon Tom Brady and play tennis at 40

Novak Djokovic is aiming to create “more history” heading into the 2024 season and enjoy a career which matches the longevity of NFL legend Tom Brady.

At the age of 36, the world No. 1 insists he has no plans to wind down an unforgettable career and remains as hungry as ever for success heading into the Australian Open next month.

“I’m still trying to push as long as I can, win Grand Slams, be a contender for top spot in the world and trying to make more history in the sport,” he said while in Riyadh ahead of an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz.

“That’s the drive, that’s the motivation. And I’m still feeling very good in my own body at this age, playing one of the best seasons that I had in my career in 2023. I’m going to keep going and see where it gets me.

“The Australian Open has been my most successful Grand Slam. Each time you win, you feel your confidence is growing. So every next year I come back, I relive the memories from previous years.

“I love playing in Australian Open and Rod Laver Arena. It’s a favourite court and hopefully I can do as well as I did last year and throughout my career. I had lots of success and hopefully I can keep that going.”

The Serbian spoke in more detail about legendary NFL quarterback Brady and how the New England Patriots icon went the extra mile to continue playing at the very highest level.

“Tom Brady is a great example of a champion in his sport and someone that has had such a great career and longevity,” Djokovic told reporters.

“He has put a lot of hours and a lot of time into self-care, into recovery, into making sure that in a way every aspect of his body and mind is covered so that he can have a long-lasting, successful career.

“I know him personally and I learned a lot from him, from his example, and hopefully I can have a career that goes up to 40 or maybe even beyond — let’s see.”

Djokovic was part of a stellar period in tennis when himself, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal dominated the sport.

With Federer retired and Nadal working his way back to action after a long-term hip problem, the Serbian admits that Carlos Alcaraz is marking a new dawn in the sport.

“Our era is coming to an end, but you have Alcaraz emerging which is great, and I was very happy that I had four very good matches with him this year,” Djokovic explained.

“Each match attracted a lot of attention, we had a lot of great highlights and it’s good, it’s good for our sport.”