Melbourne (AFP)

Winner of his 17th Grand Slam title Sunday at the Australian Open and more than ever in the race for the record for major titles and weeks spent as world No.1, Novak Djokovic said that as long as he was an active player, he "could not profit" from his victories.

The 32-year-old Serbian has approached the Grand Slam title record held by Roger Federer (20) and begins his 276th week as N.1 while the Swiss holds the record with 310 weeks.

QUESTION: No. 1 worldwide, 17 Grand Slam titles, what can you do better?

ANSWER: "At this stage of my career, the Grand Slams are for me the most valuable tournaments. They are my priority. Before the start of the season, I always try to prepare myself for these tournaments, to be at the top of my physical and mental form and my game. The Grand Slams are one of the main reasons why I keep playing for whole seasons. Trying to become the historical N.1 (in terms of the biggest number of weeks spent at the top of the world hierarchy, editor's note) is my other big goal. Starting a season with a Grand Slam title hugely increases your confidence, and your expectations are high enough for the rest of the season. that it happens now, the season is already a success. "

Q: Are you thinking that 17 Grand Slam titles are extraordinary or that there are still four more to be won to beat Federer's record?

A: "Both. The month spent in Australia has brought me great success, but it has also been exhausting. I will probably not realize what I have done in my career, especially with regard to the Grand Slams , before I retire. The intensity of the season is such, especially when you commit to playing it in full, which I have been doing for years, that you cannot enjoy a success in Grand Slam Already in a few weeks I will be playing a tournament elsewhere on the planet. I am not jaded, understand me, I am super happy, grateful and blessed. But at the same time, I will not be able to savor all these emotions before have time to relax with the family. "

Q: You are entering your 276th week as world N.1 on Monday. At what point in your career did you tell yourself that you were in the race to become the player who spent the most weeks at the top of the world hierarchy?

A: "It was more like the Grand Slams, actually. Particularly in the first part of my career, I dreamed of winning as many Grand Slam titles as possible. And when I started to win two Grand Slams by year, several years in a row, that's when I started to think that I could go find Roger (Federer, 310 weeks) and Pete Sampras (286), all these guys who won the most Grand Slams. The place of N.1 was not in the equation until I finished N.1 of the season several years in a row. "

Q. Where do you find the resources to earn this much?

A: "I grew up in Serbia during the war years in the 1990s. Times were tough, there were embargoes against our country and we had to queue to get bread, milk, water , basic things in everyday life. That kind of thing makes you stronger and makes you hungrier for success no matter what you do. That's what built me: the fact that I came from really nowhere and that I had gone through a difficult life with my parents and my people. When I think about it, it always motivates me to go even further. "

Comments gathered at a press conference

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