Novak Djokovic has admitted that Carlos Alcaraz p****d him off by ending his reign at Wimbledon. The Spaniard became the first man in a decade to beat the world No 1 on Centre Court during this year’s final. But Djokovic responded by turning their rivalry on its head, barely losing a match for the rest of the year and beating Alcaraz twice.
Djokovic suffered a defeat to Alcaraz during a thrilling five-set final at Wimbledon this summer, marking the first time since 2017 that he lost a match at SW19 and the first since 2013 that he failed to win on the main showcourt. The 20-year-old came through 1-6 7-6(6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 to lift his second Grand Slam title, something that annoyed the Serb.
A seven-time champion at Wimbledon, Djokovic has now told CBS 60 Minutes that Alcaraz’s win “pissed me off so much that I needed to win everything on American soil, which I did.” The world No 1 went on a 19-match winning streak after the defeat, winning the Cincinnati Masters, the US Open and the Paris Masters.
In Cincinnati he was able to get revenge over Alcaraz in another epic final, saving a championship point to come through 5-7 7-6(7) 7-6(4) after three hours and 48 minutes. He remained undefeated during the North American hard-court swing, winning a record 24th Grand Slam title in Flushing Meadows.
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Djokovic also beat Alcaraz in their most one-sided match in the semi-final of the ATP Finals, earning a dominant 6-3 6-2 victory. Reflecting on their rivalry, the 98-time title winner continued: “It’s a great opportunity for me to reinvent myself and really push harder than I ever did.”
He was also full of praise for his competitor, adding: “He’s as complete of a player as I have seen in ages.” And Alcaraz isn’t the only young player pushing Djokovic to keep improving at this stage of his career, as the 36-year-old confessed that the new generation brought out a “beast” in him.
