Serbian teenager Djokovic is thinking big
Mon Dec 4, 2006 3:32pm EST
By Zoran Milosavljevic
BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbian teenager Novak Djokovic, delighted with his 2006 progress, believes he can break into the top 10 next season and be a future world number one.
Djokovic is ranked 16th on the ATP tour after moving up 62 places on the back of two singles titles and reaching the French Open quarter-finals.
"My goal is to be the best in the world and there is no rush," he told a recent news conference.
"I am 19 years old and the youngest player in the top 20. I know people see me as one of the prospects who can give Roger Federer a good run for their money.
"I hope to play professional tennis for another 10 to 15 years and be the world number one at some point in my career.
"For a start, my ambition is to break into the top 10 next season and stay there."
While struggling to find his form in the first half of the season, Djokovic demonstrated his talent by reaching the Roland Garros last eight in June.
BACK INJURY
He had to retire with a back injury when 2-0 down in sets to world number two Rafael Nadal but went on to win tournaments in Amersfort and Metz before losing an epic Madrid Masters quarter-final to Chile's Fernando Gonzalez after leading 5-2 in the final set.
While giving fans in Serbia plenty to cheer about, there remains some cause for concern over his fitness.
A few weeks after quitting against Nadal in Paris, he also had to retire during the tie-break in the first set against Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in the Croatian Open final.
Having been brushed aside by Federer in Switzerland's 4-1 win over Serbia in their Davis Cup World Group play-off, Djokovic knows he is still a long way from posing a sustained threat to those above him.
"It is true that I have a poor record with the world's best players but I have learned from my defeats and gained plenty of experience for the upcoming challenges," he said.
"I would love to win a Grand Slam tournament next year but I know I have a very long way to go and a lot of hard work to do before I get a chance to pull off something like that."
He added: "I don't know how long Federer will rule but I hope not much longer because a new generation of young players is surging forward and I am part of it."
