"I expect myself to win most matches"- Novak Djokovic on competing against Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, younger generation ahead of Wimbledon final

Novak Djokovic has shot a warning to the younger generation ahead of the Wimbledon men's singles final. The Serb reached the championship match of a Major for the 37th time in his career on Friday (July 12) after beating first-time semifinalist Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets.

Djokovic played the best match of his campaign at SW19 thus far to dispatch the 25th-seeded Italian by a tight scoreline of 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-4. Later in his press conference, the 37-year-old was asked about the stakes being astronomically high even at this stage of his career.

In response, Novak Djokovic admitted he had lofty ambitions despite being well outside his physical prime. He added that matching the level shown by Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Alexander Zverev — all of whom have contested Major finals in 2024 — was a pre-requisite for him if he wanted to still stay at the top of the game.

"Every time I step out on the court now, even though I am 37 years old competing with 21-year-olds, I still expect myself to win most of my matches. People expect me to win 99% of the matches that I play. I always have to come out on the court and perform my best to still be at the level of Carlos, Jannik, Sascha, or Daniil," Novak Djokovic told the media on Friday.

The World No. 2 then revisited his struggles during this season while talking about Wimbledon — a Major tournament that has always given him a sense of resilience by his admission.

"And this year has not been that successful for me, probably the weakest results in the first six months I have had in many years. And that's okay. I had to adapt and accept it, try to find a way out also from the injury that I had and regroup. And Wimbledon historically, there's been seasons when I wasn't playing at the desired level, but then I would win the title, and then things would change," Djokovic said.

"That was the case in 2018, when I had elbow surgery earlier in the year. Dropped my rankings out of top 20... Not playing the tennis I wanted to play, and then I won Wimbledon. And then I won the US Open and later on became World No. 1 very soon. So, Wimbledon extracts the best out of me, motivates me to always show up and perform the best I can," he added.

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Novak Djokovic: "Any Grand Slam I play, there is always history at stake"

Novak Djokovic hits a forehand during the semifinals at Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic further reiterated that he realized "what was on the line" at the All England Club this weekend. The Serb felt that the pressure served as motivation for him to play his best tennis.

"Of course, I am aware of what is on the line. Any Grand Slam I play, there is always history at stake. I try to use that as fuel to play my best tennis," he said

The 24-time Major winner will face Carlos Alcaraz in the title clash at Wimbledon on Sunday, in what will be a rematch of their last year's five-set final. He came off second best to the Spaniard by a scoreline of 6-1, 6-7(6), 1-6, 6-3, 4-6 in four hours and 42 minutes, marking the third-longest men's singles final in the history of the tournament.