Exclusive: Novak Djokovic vows to battle young stars like Carlos Alcaraz: 'I'll kick their butts for as long as I can!'
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Updated 31/10/2022 at 13:51 GMT
There is certainly no doubting the level of determination and fire within Novak Djokovic at the tail-end of the 2022 tennis season, with the 35-year-old having had another triumphant year in many respects tinged with a few disappointments. Asked by Eurosport at the Paris Masters how he felt about the next generation of stars coming through, he says he's as motivated as possible to stay at the top.
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Novak Djokovic has promised to battle young stars like Carlos Alcaraz, vowing to "kick their butts for as long as I possibly can" in an interview with Eurosport.
The 21-time Grand Slam singles champion has had a mixed year on tour with a famous seventh Wimbledon triumph the big positive, but having to miss the Australian Open and US Open due to being unvaccinated among the frustrations.
Djokovic is determined to stay as competitive as possible late on in his career and not give any of the rising stars in men's tennis, such as Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner, an easy ride, particularly at Grand Slams.
The 35-year-old, who is just one major title behind one of his great rivals, Rafael Nadal, said with a smile that he "will not give up" and will beat the next generation of stars as much as he possibly can.
"First of all, I have to say that I have a very good relationship with all of them," Djokovic told Eurosport.
"I have tremendous respect for every single tennis player, particularly the ones that are reaching the biggest heights in the tennis world because I understand how that feels and what is necessary to do in order to achieve those things.
"It takes a lot of commitment, dedication and hard work so I respect all of these guys. I think it is very good for tennis that we have young guys like Alcaraz - No. 1 in the world, leading the way and winning a Grand Slam this year - Rune, who is coming up, and of course, Sinner.
"Also a bit older guys like [Stefanos] Tsitsipas, [Daniil] Medvedev, [Andrey] Rublev, and [Alexander] Zverev - these guys that have already been established in the top five, top 10 in the world, and Grand Slam winners as well.
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"So I think it is something that was inevitable to happen after the 15 years of domination of Nadal, [Roger] Federer, myself, [Andy] Murray, [Stan] Wawrinka and [Juan Martin] Del Potro. These guys have been leading the game, and of course, you are going to have the next generation.
"Many people are concerned if the game is in good hands and whether people are going to continue watching after the 'golden era', so to speak, but it was a 'golden era' with [Bjorn] Borg, [John] McEnroe, [Pete] Sampras, [Andre] Agassi and [Boris] Becker and still, there were new guys coming up."
On whether the incredible records that he, Federer and Nadal have established in the men's game can ever be broken, Djokovic feels that "it is always possible" and he will keep fighting on his side of the net.
"As difficult as it looks for all of these records that we have made to be broken, I think it is always possible.
"Alcaraz definitely looks like somebody who has the intention to dominate the game in the years to come.
"So I think it is good that there are some new faces, but I will not give up. I will make sure I kick their butts for as long as I possibly can! They will kick my butt sometimes maybe, but hopefully, less than I kick theirs."
Djokovic is a six-time champion at this week's Paris Masters and will face either Maxime Cressy or Diego Schwartzman in his opening match.
He is on the same half of the draw as Nadal, who will be playing for the first time since the US Open. Nadal has never won the tournament and will open against either Roberto Bautista Agut or Tommy Paul.
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