World tennis No. 1 Novak Djokovic has announced that he will play at the Tokyo Olympics after all, giving him a shot at the first calendar Golden Grand Slam by a male player.
"I booked my flight for Tokyo and will proudly be joining #TeamSerbia for the Olympics," Djokovic wrote in English on Twitter.
He then switched to Serbian in a separate tweet, writing, "With much pride I'm packing for Tokyo and joining our national team in the fight for the brightest medals at the Olympic arenas.
After his Wimbledon win on July 11 -- his 20th career Grand Slam crown -- Djokovic admitted he had cooled on competing in the Olympics, saying he was “a little bit divided” about making the trip.
But any worries about COVID-19 overshadowing the competition apparently were overcome by the importance of playing for his home country.
“For me playing for Serbia was always a special joy and motivation and I will give my best to make us all happy. Let's go," he said on Twitter.
The 34-year-old has already won the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon this year. An Olympic gold medal combined with a victory at the U.S. Open in September would make him the first man to capture the Golden Grand Slam.
Only women's tour legend Steffi Graf has previously won all four majors and the Olympics in the same year. She achieved the feat at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
Djokovic's path to potential gold in Tokyo has been eased by the decision of rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to skip the tournament. U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem is also an absentee.
Djokovic has one Olympic medal, a bronze from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Djokovic Cites 'Special Joy' Of Playing For Serbia In Announcing He Will Compete In Olympics
![Novak Djokovic (file photo)](https://gdb.rferl.org/d840a2f4-046b-485c-b29a-74b7026a33e9_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
U.S., Canadian Warplanes Intercept Russian, Chinese Military Aircraft Near Alaska
2Crowdsourcing Russia's Future: Poll Of Experts Considers What Comes After Putin
3Russia Attacks Ukrainian Danube Port For Second Day As NATO Scrambles Warplanes Over Romania
4Turkey Detains Russian Man Suspected Of Car Bombing In Moscow
5Live Briefing: Russia Invades Ukraine
6Ukrainian Forces Fight Intense Battles In Donetsk Region, Zelenskiy Says
7Pentagon Finds Another $2 Billion Of Accounting Errors For Ukraine Aid
8'Don't Even Whisper In Your Language': Russian Course For Central Asians Lays Down Strict Rules
9Bulgarian President Admits Blocking Pro-Western Envoy To Kyiv
10Under Relentless Russian Attacks, Ukrainian Power Plant Workers Race To Get The Lights Back On
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.