BELGRADE: Novak Djokovic turns 37 next year but the Serbian says his appetite for success will only increase with young challengers awakening the “beast” in him.
The world number one enjoyed an extraordinary 2023 by winning three out of the four Grand Slams to take his tally to 24, two more than great rival Rafa Nadal and four more than Roger Federer.
Djokovic did not have it all his own way, however, with 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz denying him a fifth-straight Wimbledon crown in a thrilling final and 22-year-old Jannik Sinner dashing his hopes of Davis Cup glory.
“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.”
Djokovic said, he used his defeat in the Wimbledon final as motivation for the US 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.”
