Novak Djokovic has admitted that competing against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner feels like playing against his younger self, describing the experience as painful. The 39-year-old Serbian, who became a 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2023 US Open, has seen the duo win 10 of the 11 major titles since then.
Djokovic Compares New Rivals to Federer and Nadal Era
Speaking on The Shop at Fanatics Fest, Djokovic was asked by Maverick Carter about his feelings toward the younger generation. He responded: 'I want to kick their a** every day of the week. But to be honest, when I see them play, there are contrasting styles with [Roger] Federer and [Rafael] Nadal, really contrasting styles. I showed up as well, different. Three of us, we were all different.'
'And now with Alcaraz and Sinner being the dominant force in tennis, these two guys remind me of myself so much. I'm like: "I'm playing myself from 10/15 years ago", and it kind of hurts me to feel that on the court. I mean, I know how to crack the code, but can I?'
Recent Defeats to Alcaraz and Sinner
Djokovic has lost to one of them at seven of the 11 Grand Slams since his 2023 US Open triumph. On both occasions he reached a final, Alcaraz denied him a record-extending 25th major, first at the 2024 French Open and then at this year's Australian Open. Sinner beat Djokovic in the Wimbledon semi-finals en route to defending his title.
Reflecting on his Wimbledon loss to Sinner, which came a day after a five-set quarter-final against Felix Auger-Aliassime, Djokovic said: 'Oh man, I wish I could have a few more days to recover from that one, but I didn't have that, and that's part of the sport, I guess. I came out, it was a clean sweep from his side, he beat me, but I went out, and I gave it all, gave it what I could. As a competitor, I owe it to the sport, to myself, to my family, to the fans. But recovery is the big one. It takes more time to recover nowadays.'
Finding Motivation Amid Rivalries
Djokovic emphasized the importance of rivalries in pushing him to improve. 'So, it's always finding new ways to motivate yourself, to inspire yourself to be better, and the rivalries are good, they're important. So you've got to always find someone in the crowd or someone on the court that is going to push you to be better.'
