Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic had his sights set on the Paris 2024 Olympics and was determined to bring home the elusive gold medal.
Despite his impressive career, Djokovic had only won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in singles.
But with the upcoming games set to be played on the clay courts of Roland Garros, Djokovic felt confident in his chances.
Two of his 22 Grand Slam titles had come at the same venue, in 2016 and 2021, and he was familiar with the grounds.
Djokovic's path to the gold medal was not going to be easy, but he was up for the challenge.
He had just notched a straight-sets victory over Tallon Griekspoor, one of the most improved players on tour in recent months, at the Dubai quarterfinals.
Djokovic extended his undefeated run this season to 14-0 and his overall winning streak to 19 matches with his clean performance.
The top seed had a tough opening round in Dubai, but he was sharp from the start against Griekspoor.
He broke at the start of the match and comfortably scooped the opening set in 34 minutes.
A brief delay due to light rain did not disrupt Djokovic's rhythm, and he leapt to a 3-0 lead in the second set.
He battled through a marathon 16-minute game to make it 4-0 before being broken on his first attempt at serving out the match.
Djokovic recovered immediately, improving to 2-0 head-to-head against Griekspoor with a one-hour 21-minute victory.
He was pleased with his performance, saying, "It's been a great evening for me tonight.
"Yesterday I really had to work hard to get a win, but tonight I think right from the block, from the beginning, I was sharp."
Djokovic was now set to face weekend Marseille champion Hubert Hurkacz for a place in the semi-finals.
But his mind was already focused on the Paris Olympics in 2024, where he hoped to bring home the gold medal that had eluded him for so long.
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