Before the US Open, Novak Djokovic said he was still highly motivated for the last Grand Slam of the year.

Speaking to the media in New York on Saturday, the 24-time Grand Slam champion addressed the question that has been on his mind since winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics last month.

“People ask me, you know, now that you’ve basically won everything with the gold medal, what’s left to win?” Djokovic said.

“I still feel the drive.”

In July, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics, finally achieving what the Serb had been striving for for 16 years.

There were doubts about how the 37-year-old would react, as winning Olympic gold had long been his goal.

“You know, I still have my competitive spirit,” Djokovic continued.

“I want to make more history and have fun on the tour.

“I still hope to inspire many young people to watch and play tennis.

“I will play my first game here on Monday evening and can’t wait to be under the floodlights.

“The noise, the energy of the stadium is simply different from anything else.

“You know, I’m looking forward to it.”

Djokovic will begin his US Open campaign on Monday in New York against Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot.

All tennis bookmakers consider him to be the almost unbeatable favorite to beat Albot. The betting sites are giving him odds of just $1.01 to win his opening match.

Albot is priced at $26 to cause an upset.

Djokovic also leads the overall betting for the tournament, earning a return of $2.75 to win the US Open. Alcaraz is close behind at $3 and world number one Jannik Sinner at $4.

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