Novak Djokovic, the tennis player with the most Grand Slams in history, a total of 24, reviewed in an extensive interview his recent sporting achievements, the controversies that have surrounded him and the challenges that lie ahead in the final years of his career. The 36-year-old Serbian remains the king of racket sport, once again elevated to number one in the ATP ranking in 2023, but several young people threaten to take the throne from him, including Carlos Alcaraz.
“He is the most complete tennis player I have seen in years,” he said of the Murcian, who beat him in the last Wimbledon final. “It made me so angry that I needed to do everything possible to win on American soil, and I did,” he said on the US CBS program 60 Minutes about his reaction on the subsequent tour of the United States, where he beat Alcaraz in the final. of Cincinnati and later lifted the US Open trophy.
“The young people who are very hungry and are very inspired to play their best tennis against me are an additional motivation. I think they awaken a beast in me,” he added about the new generation of tennis players, where in addition to Alcaraz there are Jannik Sinner or Holger Rune, both defeated by Djokovic in the last edition of the Nitto ATP Finals that culminated with the triumph of the Belgrade player.
Now Djokovic must deal, above all, with players who are taking their first steps into the elite, but his career has been marked by his rivalry with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, who will compete again in Australia. “When you see Nadal jump before going out on the court and you see him running down the hallway near you… I could hear the music playing in Nadal’s headphones. That already made me angry,” he remembers the Balearic ritual before their matches at Roland Garros.
“At the beginning of my career I didn’t realize that this was also part of the scenario, so I was intimidated by it. But I was also motivated to do my own things and show that I am prepared for a battle, for a war,” he added. about the intangibles that have led him to be a practically unapproachable tennis player, both in the tennis and mental aspects.
His last years, however, have also been marked by his refusal to be vaccinated against covid, a decision that prevented him from entering the United States and Australia, where he feels that he became a “villain” after being expelled from the country for not getting vaccinated. “I had everyone against me. I have had this experience on the slopes, but I had never experienced that in my life. I am not an anti-vaccine, nor a pro-vaccine, I am in favor of the freedom to choose,” he insisted on his position.