We continue with our special series Beyond the Baseline, with 14-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic. The Serb sat down with CGTN correspondent Wang Dong to talk about his amazing comeback from elbow surgery this year, and also his love for the Chinese fans.
”It is great that I managed to put myself in the position from five to number one, the great champion will be coming soon,” Djokovic said about his rise through the rankings after coming back from his elbow injury.
Djokovic ranks his triumph at the 2008 Masters Cup in Shanghai among the top highlights of his career. A decade ago, the young Serb finished the year just as he began by winning the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Nikolay Davydenko, the Russian who knocked out Andy Murray in the semi-finals.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia in action against Kevin Anderson of South Africa. /VCG Photo
The 31-year-old, however, is still striving for better performances deep into his career. He has won 16 consecutive matches this year, dating back to his titles at the Western & Southern Open and US Open, and is into his third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final of the season following Cincinnati and Rome at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
He believes China is a good place for him, and has made efforts to study Mandarin whenever possible