Novak Djokovic is feeling as young as ever and his age certainly didn't hinder his performance against 15 years younger opponent at the 2023 Wimbledon.
With the new generation being more and more present on the ATP Tour, the 36-year-old Serb finds himself playing against younger opponents quite often. That was the case when he defeated 15 years younger Jannik Sinner to reach his fifth consecutive Wimbledon final.
In the final, Djokovic will play against an even younger opponent, with the difference increasing by one year to 16 years. Only a few days ago, Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune played the youngest-ever men's quarterfinal at Wimbledon, and it's the 20-year-old Spaniard that made it to the final.
Despite being 36, Djokovic doesn't feel old at all and after beating Sinner, he was in a very good mood during his on-court interview. First, the Serb assessed his performance, admitting that despite the scoreline suggesting differently, the match was very close.
"Semifinals, it was always going to be very close, very tense match, as it was the case, three very close sets, I think the scoreline maybe doesn't give the reality of what was happening on the court, it was very close."
Soon, the conversation turned to age. When speaking about the Italian, who is a decade and a half younger, Djokovic praised his performance and joked that it's nice to be a part of new generation.
"A lot of pressure, in the third especially. And he has proven why he's one of the leaders of the next generation and one of the best players in the world we have, no doubt. So it's great to be part of this new generation, I love it. "
Further elaborating on his previous statement, Djokovic admitted that he feels like the age doesn't hinder him in anyway. Moreover, the 36-year-old said that his 36 feels like 26 and turned the interview into a really funny experience for everyone on the Centre Court.
"You have to rely on yourself and try to put yourself in the best possible state, physical and mental, before going out on the court. So I try not look at the age as a hindrance or a factor that might decide the factor on the court, in contrary, I feel 36 is new 26, it feels good."
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