Djokovic: Younger players awaken beast in me

NEW YORK - Serbia's Novak Djokovic, the world number one in men's tennis, says hungry, young players are a source of motivation for him, bringing out the inner beast in him.

"I think they kind of awaken a beast in me," Djokovic said in an interview with the US TV network CBS.

Admitting that he may not be as fast as he once was, Djokovic said he was wiser and more accurate and that, on the court, he would aim for targets the size of a small coin.

He also said his mental strength was not a gift but "something that comes with work."

"The difference, I guess, between the guys who are able to be the 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," Djokovic said.

"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."

Commenting on his occasional racket-breaking during matches, Djokovic said:

"I'm not proud about that. And I'm ashamed of myself when I do that, no doubt. But at the same time, you know, I accept myself as a flawed human being."

"The amount of pressure and stress is so much higher if you have [the] crowd against you. At the same time, I actually enjoy more being in [an] environment where, you know, I have nice support," he also said.

Speaking about his deportation from Australia in 2022 over his COVID vaccine status, he said:

"I had basically most of the world against me. I had that kind of experience on the tennis court with crowds that were not maybe cheering me on, but I never had this particular experience before in my life."

He said he was not anti-vaccine but just "pro freedom to choose" whether to take the jab or not.

Djokovic said the record-high 24 Grand Slam titles he had won to date were a great source of satisfaction to him.

"Actually years ago I had a dream that my daughter and my son will be able to watch me win Wimbledon. So that happened several times. I was very fortunate to experience that," he said.