Age-defying Novak Djokovic eyeing 2028 LA Olympics, full of praise for Carlos Alcaraz

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/djokovic-novak/AZg49Et9/"]Djokovic[/a] described his ‌win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alcaraz-garfia-carlos/UkhgIFEq/"]Carlos Alcaraz[/a] to claim the ‌gold medal at the 2024 Summer Games as the ‌biggest sporting success of his storied career, but ‌the Serb will be 41 when the LA Games get underway.[/p][p]"[b]That's one of the long-term goals, to reach the ‌Olympics. That would be nice[/b]," he ⁠told reporters after ‌his second-round win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/majchrzak-kamil/fPZlNrGS/"]Kamil Majchrzak[/a] at Indian Wells on ​Saturday.[/p][p]"[b]It's still a long way off. I think at my age and this stage ​of my career, every year seems like a longer period than it is for anyone who is ⁠younger[/b].[/p][p]"But I'll try ​to make it, definitely one of the motivations, so I'll try to be there."[/p][embed guid="208ec4de-0da4-40ae-a5f9-faab48c47890" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSNJ7ihcHB0&t=1s" social-type="youtube" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/murray-andy/tYvP6939/"]Andy Murray[/a] is the only man to successfully defend an Olympic singles ‌gold medal. Djokovic, the winner of 24 Grand Slams, won bronze at the Beijing Games in 2008.[/p][p]Playing in his first match since his impressive run at the Australian Open that included a thrilling five-set semi-final win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sinner-jannik/6HdC3z4H/"]Jannik Sinner[/a], Djokovic needed some time to shake the rust off but ultimately prevailed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/djokovic-n-AZg49Et9/majchrzak-k-fPZlNrGS/?mid=4WnZhrs2"]4-6 6-1 6-2[/a] over Majchrzak.[/p][p]"It's good ‌to be back on tour," he said.[/p][p]"[b]Five weeks ​with no official match, I knew that the ‌first match in such a long time will be a little bit tricky with conditions that are quite challenging[/b]," he said, referring to the wind gusts in the California desert.[/p][p]Next up ⁠for the third ⁠seed is American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kovacevic-aleksandar/AudsF90U/"]Aleksandar ‌Kovacevic[/a].[/p][h2]Alcaraz well poised to extend winning streak[/h2][p]Djokovic believes world number one Alcaraz has what it takes to keep his 2026 winning streak alive, and the Serbian star, who won 41 straight matches to open 2011, should know.[/p][p]Alcaraz pushed his perfect 2026 record to 13-0 with a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/alcaraz-garfia-c-UkhgIFEq/dimitrov-g-SQgEEKh4/?mid=A7nyIkGU"]6-2, 6-3[/a] victory over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dimitrov-grigor/SQgEEKh4/"]Grigor Dimitrov[/a] at the Indian Wells ATP Masters on Saturday.[/p][p]He said before the tournament that a dozen straight wins, with titles at the Australian Open and the ATP Qatar Open, had made him realise just how remarkable Djokovic's 41-match streak was.[/p][p]But Djokovic said there's no reason the 22-year-old Spaniard can't keep piling up the wins.[/p][embed guid="7c8f84a2-b033-4cfb-b191-7ec348f69c77" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOZF-mdDIBg&t=2s" social-type="youtube" /][p]"He can do it," Djokovic said. "[b]He has everything that you need to have in terms of the game, in terms of the adaptability to different surfaces, and level of fitness and recovery that he has shown and matured over the years[/b].[/p][p]"[b]He needs to keep his body healthy. If he keeps his body healthy, I mean, he's so good that he can win any tournament he plays in[/b]."[/p][p]Looking back on his 2011 streak, Djokovic recalled the ever-increasing feeling of confidence it brought, as well as the appetite for more success.[/p][p]"It's demanding," he said. "[b]But at the same time, when you are winning so much and you're riding that wave, you don't want to let go[/b].[/p][p]"You want to surf on that wave as long as you can, because the level of confidence is really high."[/p][p]Alcaraz's run included a victory over Djokovic in the Australian Open final, where the 22-year-old Spaniard became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.[/p][p]"I wish him more victories," said Djokovic, who could find himself up against Alcaraz again in the semi-finals at Indian Wells.[/p][p]"[b]I think he's great for our sport, and what he's been doing is remarkable[/b]."[/p]