"Playing for Serbia will give Novak Djokovic the extra 10% he needs" - Boris Becker backs 'motivated' Serb to fend off young players for Olympic gold

Boris Becker has voiced support for Novak Djokovic in his "motivated" quest to fend off younger players and secure a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This will be the Serb's fifth appearance at the Games .

Djokovic has competed in every edition of the Olympic Games since playing his first at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This year, he is seeded second and will represent Serbia in tennis alongside Dusan Lajovic in the singles event.

The Serb has won a single Olympic medal in his career so far - a bronze in 2008. During that tournament, the former World No. 1 defeated American Robby Ginepri and Germany's Rainer Schuttler in the first and second rounds, respectively. He then overcame 13th seed Russia's Mikhail Youzhny in the third round and Frenchman Gael Monfils in the quarterfinals.

Djokovic lost in the semifinals to the second seed and eventual gold medalist Rafael Nadal. He triumphed over eighth-seeded American, James Blake 6-3, 7-6(4) in the bronze medal match.

Recently, Boris Becker, who coached Djokovic from 2013 to 2016, said (via Punto de Break):

“Novak was very transparent and open at the beginning of the year that his most important tournament was going to be the Paris Olympics. It’s not to say that he didn’t take the Grand Slams of Roland Garros or Wimbledon seriously, but he has never won an Olympic gold and if you’ve won everything else there is to win, it’s only natural that you want to win the one that’s not in your trophy cabinet.”

Becker added that he is expecting Djokovic to be "very motivated":

“With that in mind, I expect to see a very motivated Novak Djokovic at these Olympics. Playing for Serbia will give him the extra 10% he needs against these great young players who are emerging now.

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Novak Djokovic: "It's a huge honour to represent Serbia at the Olympic Games"

Novak Djokovic - Getty Images

Earlier this year, during a press conference, Novak Djokovic stated that he is hoping to play his best tennis at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He said (via Olympics.com):

"I hope I can play my best tennis. At the end of the day, who knows if I will get another chance to play at the Olympic Games, they only come every four years."

He added:

"If I didn't think [a gold medal] was possible, I probably wouldn't be playing the Olympic Games. You have to believe that everything is possible in life . The Olympics Games are the oldest and most prestigious sporting event in the history of sport . It's a huge honour to represent Serbia at the Olympic Games. I hope I can be healthy and fit."

Djokovic is yet to secure a title this season. He recently achieved a runner-up finish at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships where he was defeated by defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final.