Seven moments from Novak Djokovic’s interview – when he was ashamed of himself and a Carlos Alcaraz confession

Novak Djokovic’s eagerly awaited interview with CBS’s show 60 Minutes hit the airwaves on Sunday and it did not disappoint.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion invited the US TV crew to his home in Serbia in what was another diversion in the way he is presenting himself to the world.

Djokovic has tended to stay out of the limelight when he is not competing in an event, yet the arrival of his new agent Mark Madden seems to have inspired a change of direction.

The world No 1 won widespread acclaim for his charming appearance as a guest player in the Ryder Cup pro-am golf event in August, while he also presented and award at the Balon d’Or ceremony acknowledging the greatest footballers in the world ahead of his win at the Paris Masters event.

Now he has taken part in a sitdown interview that was played out to a huge audience in America on Sunday.

Here are some of the biggest takeaways:

DJOKOVIC REVEALS SHAME OVER RACKETS SMASHES

“I have broken rackets in my life, no doubt about it, and I am not proud about that. I am ashamed of myself when I do that, no doubt. But at the same time I accept myself as a flawed human being.”

ON BECOMING PRESIDENT OF SERBIAN ONE DAY

“I do not have any political inspirations at the moment. I don’t feel that this is a world or an environment where I would thrive. But I do think that my popularity in the country and in the region can be used for some other things where I can help contribute to life and society.”

READ MORE: Novak Djokovic has a new agent set and he is set to make big changes

ON WHETHER HIS KIDS ARE INSPIRING HIM TO EXTEND HIS CAREER

“Yes. Actually years ago I had a dream that my daughter and my son would be able to watch me win Wimbledon. So that happened several times. I was very fortunate to experience that.”

THRIVING IN FRONT OF CROWDS CHEERING AGAINST HIM

“The amount of pressure and stress is so much higher when you have the crowd against you. Most of my career, it was mostly hostile environments for me (laughs). I kind of learned how to thrive in that environment. People think it’s better if they don’t like me, so it gets the best out of me in terms of tennis. It did happen, but at the same time, I actually enjoy it more being in an environment where I have nice support. 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.”

“I have much more than I need. But women and men who are around 200 and lower ranked in that world, they are struggling a lot,” says Djokovic, who co-founded a players association to ease the financial burdens for lower-ranked players. https://t.co/yyD1nYj3IG pic.twitter.com/HmDW0UYWQ8

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) December 11, 2023

FIGHTING HIS INNER DEMONS

“Especially in the moments when you’re under tension, I might appear locked in, but trust me, there’s a storm inside. The biggest battle is always within. You have your doubts and fears. I feel it every single match. I don’t like this kind of mindset that I see a lot in sports. ‘Just think positive thoughts. Be optimistic. There’s no room for failure. There’s no room for doubts and stuff like this.’ It’s impossible. You are a human being.

“The difference between the guys who are able to be the biggest champions and the ones who are struggling to get to the highest level is the ability to not stay in those emotions for too long. For me, it’s really relatively short. As soon as I experience it, I acknowledge it. I may burst or scream on the court. But I’m able to bounce back and reset.”

LOSING AGAINST CARLOS ALCARZ AT WIMBLEDON FIRED HIS AMBITIONS

“It’s a great opportunity for me to reinvent myself and really push harder than I ever did. (2023 Wimbledon final defeat) pissed me off so much that I needed to win everything on American soil, which I did.” – He won the Cincinnati Masters and US Open in the autumn of this year.

GOING FOR DINNER WITH ROGER FEDERER AND RAFAEL NADAL IN YEARS TO COME

“I would really like to. I mean, I know that obviously (laughs) we didn’t get along so well throughout our careers in, like, off court. And we are not friends because, you know, we’re rivals and it’s difficult as competitors to be very close and kind of share and give insights to you know, to your life or to how you feel because, you know, it could be used against you.”