Djokovic On 60 MINUTES: The Young Guys ‘Awaken A Beast In Me’

During his appearance on CBS’ 60 MINUTES on Sunday evening, Novak Djokovic made clear that the rising stars of the sport are keeping him on his toes aged 36.

“I think the young guys who are very hungry and very inspired to play their best tennis against me is an additional motivation,” Djokovic told reporter Jon Wertheim. “I think they kind of awaken a beast in me.”

That was evident earlier this year when he lost a heartbreaking Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz. The Spanish star has quickly become a big rival for Djokovic, who used that defeat as a source of energy for the rest of the season.

“Yes, absolutely, it was,” Djokovic said. “That pissed me off so much that I needed to win everything on American soil, which I did.”

The Serbian laughed as he made that comment. But his feelings showed in his reaction to the loss on the court. In Cincinnati, Djokovic refused to lose to Alcaraz, saving a championship point en route to winning the longest best-of-three-set final in ATP Tour history (three hours, 49 minutes). He went on to win the US Open, the Rolex Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals.

The 98-time tour-level titlist also provided insight into the mental side of the sport and how closely he pays attention to everything his opponent does, not just during points.

“Even though there is no physical contact in tennis, there’s still a lot of eye contact,” Djokovic said. “When we are changing ends, when we’re sitting on the bench, and then the big screen shows him how he drinks his water. And then I’m looking at him. How is he drinking water? Is he sweating more than usual?

“Is he breathing deeply or not deeply? And then I look how he’s communicating with his team. You have all these different elements that are in play that really affect the performance and the game itself.”

Djokovic said that his mental game is not a gift, but a craft he continuously works on. Despite how calm he looks under pressure, the World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings explained that is not always the case.

“I might appear maybe locked in,” Djokovic said. “But trust me, there is a storm inside. And the biggest always battle is within, right?”

Djokovic added: “You are a human being. The difference, I guess, between the guys who are able to be biggest champions, and the ones that are struggling to get to the highest level is the ability to not stay in those emotions for too long. So, for me, it’s really relatively short. So as soon as I experience it, I acknowledge it. I maybe, you know, burst. I scream on the court, whatever happens. But then I’m able to bounce back and reset.”