Novak Djokovic says in a way it “was good” for him to lose the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz because it made him extremely motivated for the remainder of the year. After winning the first two Grand Slams of the year, Djokovic also appeared to be cruising toward winning his fifth consecutive Wimbledon final.
But then, Alcaraz upset Djokovic 1-6 7-6 (6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 to win his first Wimbledon title and end the Serb’s 34-match winning streak at The Championships. At the time, some were claiming that Alcaraz’s Wimbledon final win over Djokovic signaled the start of a new era in men’s tennis.
But since returning to action, Djokovic has won four consecutive titles at the US Open, ATP Finals, and the Masters events in Cincinnati and Paris. On the other side, Alcaraz hasn’t won any titles since Wimbledon.
Djokovic: Losing to Alcaraz motivated me for the rest of 2023
“It would be a question for Carlos, but I have no guilty conscience.
I try to look forward and in all the Grand Slam finals that I have lost there is always a reason. I try to learn from it and the experience of losing in a Grand Slam final motivates me even more. I lost at Wimbledon and since then I won everything except the match with Sinner in the group stage in Turin.
If I analyze the year, I could say that it was good for me to lose to Carlos because he motivated me for the rest of the season,” Djokovic told MARCA. At the ATP Finals in Turin, Djokovic also officially secured finishing as the Year-End No 1 ahead of Alcaraz.
Alcaraz has proved that he is a legitimate contender for the biggest titles in the world but Djokovic has also proved with his recent results that he is not going anywhere. In Turin, Djokovic fired a stern warning to his Tour colleagues, telling them his motivation for 2024 will be the same as it was in 2023.
