Novak Djokovic described Carlos Alcaraz as one of the most complete players he has “seen in ages” and admitted that the young guys “awakened a beast in me.” Alcaraz, 20, is already a two-time Grand Slam champion and he and Djokovic were going back-and-forth in their battle for the world No 1 spot throughout 2023.

In the summer, Alcaraz achieved one of the most difficult tasks in tennis – he defeated Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. By beating Djokovic in this year’s Wimbledon final, Alcaraz won his first title at The Championships and also became the first player since 2017 to beat the Serb at The All England Club.

“The young guys who are very hungry and very inspired to play their best tennis against me is an additional motivation. I think they kind of awaken a beast in me. He’s [Alcaraz] as a complete of a player as I have seen in ages.

It’s a great opportunity for me to reinvent myself and really push harder than I ever did,” Djokovic said on 60 Minutes on CBS Sports.

Djokovic told Alcaraz and other young guys how they can push him into retirement

Djokovic, who will be turning 37 in May, is still dominating in tennis.

In recent months, Djokovic underlined several times that he will think about retirement only when he starts losing more frequently. “I will hang on for as long as I feel like hanging on. As long as I’m able to win against them on the big stage, I’ll still keep going because why stop if you’re still winning the biggest titles.

Once they start to kick my butt, then I will consider probably having a little break or maybe a permanent break from professional tennis,” Djokovic said last month. Also last month, Djokovic highlighted that his motivation for success will remain the same in 2024.