Alex Corretja believes Novak Djokovic has nothing left to prove, says Serb shouldn't be disappointed if he doesn't win gold in Tokyo

Former World No. 2 Alex Corretja believes Novak Djokovic should not put undue pressure on himself to win the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Djokovic is the top seed and the overwhelming favorite to claim top honors at this year's Games. The Serb is aiming to become the first man to win a Calendar Golden Slam and is just an Olympic singles gold and US Open title away from achieving the monumental feat.

As such, many believe the Serb will be under tremendous pressure in Tokyo as he continues his journey towards tennis immortality.

Djokovic's participation in the Games was in doubt until a few days ago after it was announced that crowds would not be allowed into stadiums in Tokyo. But the Serb quelled those fears, confirming that he would represent Serbia at the Olympics for the fourth time in his career.

In that context, Corretja claimed the 20-time Major champion's decision to play in the Games proves he is gunning for glory. However, the Spaniard stressed Djokovic does not need to prove anything to anyone, having already achieved astounding feats in the sport.

“If he has made the decision to go, it is because he has enough energy to do so," Alex Corretja was quoted as saying by Tennishead. "If Novak has decided to go, it is because he feels it in his heart. I don’t think he needs to prove anything. He is number 1 in the world, he has 20 Grand Slams, the most weeks as number 1 … if he is at 100% he will have great opportunities.”

Corretja further explained that Djokovic should not overburden himself with expectations or feel too disappointed if he misses out on the gold medal.

“I wouldn’t put too much pressure on him to go for the gold, I wouldn’t be disappointed if I was him and I didn’t win it," added Corretja. "I don’t think I should feel more pressure than the rest."

Novak Djokovic is the top favorite, but the format is also favorable to players like Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev: Alex Corretja

Novak Djokovic training in Tokyo

All singles matches at the Olympics, including the final, will be played in the best-of-three-sets format. Thus, Corretja reckons players such as Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev will fancy their chances of taking down the Serb. But he maintained that Djokovic remains the "top favorite".

“Djokovic is the top favorite and we will all agree with that," Alex Corretja said. "Due to the fact that it is not the best of five sets, that opens the range a bit to a series of tennis players such as Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev, who have also shown that they can do very well in these types of tournaments.”

The Medal Tally for Tokyo 2020 is out now. Check out the Tokyo Olympics Medal Tally.