Novak Djokovic’s final statement on participation in Tokyo Olympics

20-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic has announced that he will be participating in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, days after he said that he was unsure about taking part in the tournament. The 34-year-old Serbian player confirmed the same via his social media account.

Novak Djokovic is currently a favourite to win his maiden Olympic gold medal in Tokyo. “I am very proud to pack for Tokyo and join our national team in the fight for the brightest medals on the Olympic arenas. For me, the game for Serbia has always been a special joy and motivation and I will do my best to make us all happy! Let’s go,” Djokovic said on Thursday night. Djokovic, on Sunday, defeated Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in the final match to earn his sixth Wimbledon title and a record equalling 20th Grand Slam. During the post-match press conference, he had said that he was not sure about his participation in the Olympics.

“My plan was always to go to Olympic Games, but right now I’m a little bit divided. I also hear that there’s going to be a lot of restrictions within the Village. Possibly you would not be able to see other athletes perform live. I can’t even have my stringer that is very important part of my team. I can’t have a stringer. I’m limited with the amount of people I can take in my team as well. It’s kind of 50-50 because of what I heard in the last couple days (about the ban on spectators),” he had said.

Some of the major Tennis players who have pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics so far include Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Nick Kyrgios, Simona Halep, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Dominic Thiem. The tournament, which was supposed to happen in 2020, has been delayed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.