Novak Djokovic talks tennis career, aging in the sport and Serena Williams' return
Novak Djokovic talks to "CBS Mornings" about still competing at 39 years old, the U.S. Open and Serena Williams' return to the court.
Tennis icon Novak Djokovic says "there's always something to prove" to himself and to others — even though he has a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
"I can always be better than I was yesterday," he told "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King in an interview that aired on Friday.
At 39 years old, Djokovic is still "thinking about playing great tennis," but added his body reminds him of his age.
"You're just … trying to take every percentage of extra edge that I can get to be able to still compete at an elite level with young guys," he said.
Djokovic was defeated by eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals at Wimbledon earlier this month. The semifinal loss came after a draining, 5-hour-and-15-minute quarterfinal victory over Felix Auger Aliassime.
"The body is responding differently and that's just biology … the wear and tear, the 20-plus years on the highest level, it's just taking its toll," Djokovic said, reflecting on the tournament. "I just couldn't fully recover for the semis and I wasn't as fresh as I wanted to be. But not to take anything away from Sinner who won … the tournament, but it's just, it's different nowadays."