PARIS – Novak Djokovic chose privacy in Paris 2024. He will not be sleeping at the Olympic Village.
“We anticipate Novak to come within the next few days, but he will not be living with us in the Village,” an organising member of the Serbian delegation told CLAY. The Balkan squad of 112 athletes occupy all floors of one of the citadel buildings in the northern district of Saint Denis.
At the Tokyo 2020 Games, the 24-time Grand Slam winner chose to reside alongside the other participants. “I’m having a great time here with over ten thousand athletes, exchanging expertise, life experiences, and sports-related information. You won’t get that type of experience anyplace else,” he declared three years ago.
In Japan, he was one of the most popular stars in the Village, and athletes from many countries and disciplines approached him for a photo or advice. He performed similarly at the last Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as he will in Paris.While Djokovic finishes his week of training in Budva (Montenegro) with Japanese Taro Daniel, which he mixed with some Adriatic kayaking, his main competitor has already recognised Roland Garros’ extraordinary Olympic attire: Rafael Nadal trained cheerfully, despite some concerns about the quality of his recuperation following a gruelling week in Sweden, where he played his first final in more than two years.
Nadal, who will also compete in doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz, is staying in the Olympic Village.
The gold medal is Djokovic’s greatest goal, as he has yet to compete in a final after four attempts. Perhaps he does not want to create distractions to his final quest to reach the peak of Olympus.
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