Novak Djokovic said reaching his first final of the 2025 season at the Miami Open reignited his drive to continue chasing more titles as the 37-year-old aims for his 100th ATP trophy during the upcoming clay season.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t won a title on the men’s tour since his ATP Finals victory in 2023, although he did capture the Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games on the Roland Garros courts last year.
Djokovic’s attempt to join Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) as the only men in the Open Era with 100 or more ATP titles ended in a loss to Jakub Mensik last week, but the Serbian star said his performance in Miami fueled his determination.
“There’s no doubt it has become more difficult throughout my career, but the performances in Miami, when I’m playing that way, give me more inspiration to keep going,” Djokovic told reporters in Monte Carlo.
“It just feels great on the court when you’re striking the ball well and winning matches. Obviously, when you start losing early, you have more questions and inner voices, which bring doubts about whether you should keep going.
“I’m glad in Miami I found that joy on the court and performance levels, so let’s see if I can carry that into clay. It’s a different surface, and I haven’t had much time to get used to this tournament, so my expectations aren’t that high.”
Djokovic will be without his coach, Andy Murray, at the ongoing Monte Carlo Masters, with the Scot expected to return in Madrid later this month.
“It was never part of the agreement to work with Andy this week,” said Djokovic.
“I was thinking about who I wanted, anyone apart from my fitness coach and physio, and my brother Marko was able to join me, so that helps me on a different level emotionally.”
Third-seeded Djokovic could meet Stan Wawrinka in his opening match in Monaco.