NEW DELHI: Next year, Novak Djokovic will turn 37, but the Serbian player believes that as youthful competitors bring out the “beast” in him, his hunger for glory will only grow.
With three of the four Grand Slams won, the world number one had an incredible 2023. This brought his total to 24, two more than his fiercest opponent Rafael Nadal and four more above the retired Roger Federer.
But Djokovic did not have it all his own way, as 22-year-old Jannik Sinner dashed his dreams of winning the Davis Cup and 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz denied him a Wimbledon championship.
“The young guys who are very hungry and very inspired to play their best tennis against me is an additional motivation,” Djokovic said on CBS News program “60 Minutes”.
“I think they kind of awaken a beast in me.”
Alcaraz was defeated by Djokovic in three of their four encounters this year, including the French Open semifinals where the Spaniard experienced full-body cramps. Nevertheless, the Serb stated that his youthful opponent had grown into a serious threat.
“He’s as a complete of a player as I have seen in ages,” Djokovic said, adding that he used his defeat in the Wimbledon final as motivation for the U.S. hardcourt swing, where he won at Cincinnati and Flushing Meadows.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to reinvent myself and really push harder than I ever did.”
(With Reuters inputs)