Novak Djokovic, 34, is still chasing tennis history, and a lot of it.
He’s trying to become the first player to win the men’s Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969, 52 years ago. He’s also trying to become the all-time Grand Slam men’s singles titles leader by winning the 2021 US Open and breaking a three-way tie at 20 between himself, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
But despite the fact that Djokovic is still years away from retiring, he has already given considerable thought to the legacy he wants to leave behind once he retires from the sport.
At the 2021 US Open, Djokovic shared the three key parts of his ideal legacy.
1. To be remembered as the ultimate competitor who inspired others
Djokovic said he wants to be remembered as someone who competed until the very last ball but also wasn’t so competitive that he didn’t make time to help others.
“I would like people, particularly my peers, the fellow tennis players, both men's and women's side, to remember me as someone that first of all left his heart out on the court and has inspired maybe players to get better and to improve and to believe in themselves more,” he said.
Djokovic has already secured his legacy as one of the all-time best competitors, and he’s well on his way to being remembered as someone who helps and inspires other players.
After he beat 22-year-old Denis Shapovalov in the Wimbledon semifinals in July, Djokovic offered encouraging words to Shapovalov.
“He's an incredible guy. I don't think he's praised enough. Even he came up to me in the locker room, he just said a couple words. For me, it means a lot. He really doesn't have to,” Shapovalov said.
“He just told me he knows how difficult it is for me right now. He told me that everything will come. For me, it's super—it's big coming from someone like him. Like I said, he doesn't have to do this. It just shows the type of person he is. It's just really nice for someone like me to hear from him.”
2. As someone dedicated to improving education
Djokovic’s legacy isn’t all about tennis; he also wants to be remembered as someone who helped others off the court and recognized the importance of education.
“I'm very passionate about children and early childhood education. My foundation is really focused on that for the last 15 years. That's something I would like to be remembered for, of course,” he said.
Djokovic’s eponymous foundation was founded in 2007 and works to provide preschool-aged children educational opportunities throughout his home country of Serbia. The foundation has helped build 47 schools and educate more than 47,000 children.
3. A person of strong values and character
Djokovic also wants to be remembered as someone of great character.
“Someone that really tries to live up to the true values of life: respecting and being grateful, appreciating the moment, appreciating the fact that I'm playing the sport that I truly love and I'm very successful in. Not many probably people around the world could say that maybe they are the best in the world in what they love to do,” he said.
“All in all, I would love to leave the legacy first of all that is a good human being, someone that people respect as a person, that has good character, and of course, then after, a tennis player. For me those things are more important than results.”
