Novak Djokovic recognised that tennis is in a period of “transition” as he described the rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as “incredible.”
The 37-year-old tennis great asserted, though, that he does not feel he belongs “to the older guard” or that he is “unable to compete with the younger guys.”
Djokovic won a record-extending 24th Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open, but he did not add to his major tally this year, making it his first ‘Slamless’ season since 2017.
Sinner and Alcaraz each won two of the four majors in 2024, with the Italian securing the Australian Open and the US Open, and the Spaniard winning the French Open and Wimbledon.
The Serbian’s only title so far in 2024 is his gold medal triumph at the Paris Olympics, where he delivered a stunning performance to down Alcaraz in the final.
Djokovic was beaten 7-6(4), 6-4 by Sinner in the Shanghai Masters title match last week, while he fell in straight sets to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final in July.
In an interview with Vogue, Djokovic was asked if he agreed tennis was in “a changing of the guard moment” given Roger Federer has retired and Rafael Nadal is set to join the Swiss next month.
The former world No 1 suggested he will not allow this transition to happen without a fight as he pointed out how some have discussed a changing of the guard “for many years.”
“I don’t think it’s that black and white — because if it is, I consider myself belonging to the older guard, unable to compete with the younger guys,” Djokovic said.
“It’s definitely a transition, but it takes time. It’s a natural process, and people have been talking about it for many years.
“Now we have younger guys, yes, but also we have the generation that is not the youngest: [Alexander] Zverev, [Daniil] Medvedev, [Stefanos] Tsitsipas.
“Those guys were or are all top-10; Medvedev has been No 1. They’re going to stay up top for a while, along with the younger ones.
“But I think you’re thinking of Alcaraz and Sinner. They’ve developed an incredible rivalry in the last 12 months, and rivalries are what really attract a lot of attention to the sport.
“People that don’t necessarily even follow tennis, per se, they do follow rivalries; they follow contrasts.”
