Novak Djokovic made a surprising comment after losing the 2024 Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz, and Jimmy Connors didn’t like it.
Connors, who admires Djokovic for his winning spirit, was taken aback by the Serbian’s words. The American legend, known for his fierce competitiveness and record 109 titles, couldn’t believe what he heard.
After Alcaraz defeated him in the Wimbledon final, Djokovic praised both Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner .
“Being able to reach the final of Wimbledon gives a great confidence boost. But I also feel like in a matchup against the best player in the world right now for sure, other than Jannik, both of them are the best this year by far, I feel like I’m not at that level.”
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| rs Novak Djokovic | 37 | 8,360 | 18 - 6 |
“In order to really have a chance to I guess beat these guys in Grand Slam latter stages or Olympics, I’m going to have to play much better than I did and feel much better than I did.”
Connors’ Reaction:
The 37-year-old admitted that younger players were currently better and he needed to improve. Connors wouldn’t have said that. On his podcast Advantage Connors, he explained why Djokovic should’ve chosen different words.
“Man I would never admit that. That’s just me. I would think that from inside of me I’d be saying I’m gonna do everything to try and stay up there and compete with them. And to be as good as I could to match them as opposed to saying I’m not on their level.”
“Sometimes we always talk about confidence and the mental aspect of this; you don’t want everyone going in feeling defeated. And against a Sinner or an Alcaraz, maybe it’s reverse psychology he’s throwing out there so if he wins, he’s superhuman!”
Fans might think Djokovic is just being honest about his current form.
It’s unlikely any reverse psychology was involved; it seemed more like Djokovic was sharing his true thoughts at that moment. We know he’s capable of turning things around—he’s done it throughout his career.
This year will show if he’s close to their level or even better. But according to Connors, admitting such things can be damaging.
Do you agree with Connors?
