Murray, Djokovic looking forward to playing in 2020 Olympics
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka during their Davis Cup tennis match in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
MADRID, Spain—Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have their sights set on playing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Murray said Wednesday “he would love to compete in Tokyo,” and Djokovic acknowledged the Olympics are “very high on the list of wishes for next year.”
Murray, the two-time Olympic champion in singles and a three-time Grand Slam winner, has been slowly coming back to full speed after undergoing hip surgery in January. In October, he won his first title since his return.
He defeated Tallon Griekspoor 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (5) on Wednesday in his first Davis Cup match with Britain since 2016.
“I’ve really enjoyed playing in the Olympics,” the 32-year-old Murray said. “I’ve always enjoyed a team environment and competing for my country. Always really enjoyed that. So yeah, I would love to play in Tokyo.”
The Olympic gold medalist in 2012 and 2016, Murray said he hopes to “feel healthy” and that his “body feels good” at the end of next year.
“I’d be delighted with that,” he said. “That’s what I’d like for next year.”
Roger Federer has already said he plans to play in Tokyo, even though it adds to an already packed calendar. And Djokovic, who helped Serbia beat Japan in the new Davis Cup Finals on Wednesday in Madrid, said the Olympics are also part of his plans for 2020.
“I’m going to try to be healthy, be fit, be prepared to play my best,” he said. “I played the Tokyo (ATP) tournament, I won it this year. And the Olympic Games are going to be played on the same courts, which are quite good for my style of the game, I think it’s quite suitable.”
The 32-year-old Djokovic said he expects “fun” games in Japan.
“Olympics are always bringing something extraordinary,” he said. “Every four years you get a chance to be part of the most historic sports events in the history of sport. You never get really a chance to, other than in the Olympics, to really sit next to all the elite athletes from their sports and dine with them and just exchange experiences and knowledge and everything. There’s a lot of storytelling, a lot of fun.”
The Olympics is the only top tournament Djokovic hasn’t won in his career. He won the bronze medal in the 2008 Games in Beijing.
