"I still have the competitive spirit": Serbia's tennis star Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic practises at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, New York, on Saturday. Pic/AFP

As big a deal as finally winning an Olympic gold medal was to Novak Djokovic, as much as he has accomplished in tennis - the men's-record 24 Grand Slam trophies, the 99 total titles, the most weeks at No. 1 for any player and on and on - do not for a moment think he is satisfied as the US Open begins.

"People would ask me: ‘Now that you have basically won everything with the gold medal, what else is there to win?' I still feel the drive. I still have the competitive spirit," the 37-year-old from Serbia said on Saturday. "I still want to make more history and enjoy myself on the tour."

If it seems like there is always some sort of milestone in the offing when Djokovic takes the court, that's because there usually is. This time around at Flushing Meadows, where play begins on Monday and the No. 2-seeded Djokovic faces 138th-ranked Radu Albot of Moldova at night in Arthur Ashe Stadium, there is the latest opportunity to get major singles championship No. 25, a total no man or woman ever has reached in tennis.

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As the defending champion, there is also a chance to become the first man to win at least two consecutive titles at the US Open since Roger Federer swept five in a row from 2004 to 2008. "I didn't know it was that long. Hopefully, that changes this year," Djokovic said.

"I mean, that's the goal. The goal is always for me to try to go all the way to the finals and fight for the trophy. That kind of mindset or approach is no different for me this year." That consistency of purpose is what has carried him to all of his achievements. Djokovic hasn't competed anywhere since beating Alcaraz in a pair of tiebreakers in the Summer Games title match.

The way Djokovic reacted that day - kneeling, trembling, crying - and the way he spoke about it on Saturday left no doubt about its importance to him."Just a very proud moment of experiencing the gold medal around my neck, with the Serbian anthem and Serbian flag. Very, very special," he said.

Women's race is split wide open!

Defending women's champion Coco Gauff has had a worrying dip in form recently, raising doubts over whether she can become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to successfully defend her US Open crown. A third-round exit from the Olympics was followed by early defeats in Toronto and Cincinnati. Five-time major winner and World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, the 2022 champion, made the Cincinnati semis, losing to Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion and runner-up to Gauff in New York last year, is another contender in a wide-open field that also features Wimbledon winner Barbora Krejcikova and Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen.

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