"Pissed me off so much that I needed to win everything on US soil" - Novak Djokovic on how Wimbledon loss to Carlos Alcaraz motivated him

Novak Djokovic recently said that his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final motivated him to win every tournament in the United States.

The two players played out an exceptional title clash at Wimbledon's Centre Court this season. Alcaraz eventually won 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 to lift the grass-court Major trophy for the first time in his career.

This defeat turned out to be the only difference between Djokovic and the Calendar Slam, as he won each of the other three Majors.

The Serb appeared on the CBS show 60 Minutes recently, where he spoke to Jon Wertheim. Djokovic was asked during the interview whether the defeat to Alcaraz in Wimbledon "energized" him.

He responded by saying that the defeat "pissed him off" to the extent that he felt he "needed" to win everything in the US.

"Yes, absolutely, it was. And you're right because that pissed me off so much that I needed to win everything on American soil, which I did. It's a great opportunity for me to reinvent myself and really push harder than I ever did," the 36-year-old said.

Djokovic competed in two tournaments in the United States and emerged victorious in both. He won the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati by defeating Carlos Alcaraz 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) in the final, before claiming his fourth US Open with a 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 triumph over Daniil Medvedev in the title clash.

Novak Djokovic leads 3-2 in the head-to-head against Carlos Alcaraz

The World No. 1 in action at the Davis Cup

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have locked horns five times so far, with the Serb leading 3-2 in the head-to-head.

The first meeting between the two came in the semifinals of the 2022 Madrid Open, with Alcaraz winning a thrilling encounter 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(5). They did not face each other again until the last four of this season's French Open, where Djokovic won 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.

Next came the memorable Wimbledon final, which was followed by their title clash in Cincinnati.

The most recent encounter between the top-two ranked players came in the semifinals of the ATP Finals. Djokovic registered a 6-3, 6-2 win to reach the final, where he beat Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-3 to seal his seventh title at the year-end championships.

The Serb will begin his 2024 season at the United Cup while Carlos Alcaraz will only start at the Australian Open.