"If I was in Novak Djokovic's place right now, I'd say, play me until you kill me" - Jimmy Connors

The discussion surrounding the changing of the guard has gained rapid pace since Carlos Alcaraz’s victory over Novak Djokovic in the 2023 Wimbledon final. Jimmy Connors recently shared his views on the subject.

Djokovic, coming from the golden era of legends such as himself, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray, is still holding firm on the tour. Ranked World No. 2, the Serb is the only person aged above 30 to feature in the top 15, and the oldest player in the top 40.

While Novak Djokovic has occasionally looked beatable by next-gen players such as Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, and Lorenzo Musetti, the 36-year-old has still enjoyed an impressive campaign at Grand Slams this year. He has made the finals of all three Slams contested so far in 2023, winning two of those – the Australian Open and the French Open.

Former World No. 1 Jimmy Connors recently spoke about the Serb’s unending dominance on tour and the dearth of young, challenging opponents. He also recalled a meme of Novak Djokovic winning Slams well into his 40s.

“Somebody put up a picture, I saw on Twitter, Djokovic, where he was 40 or 50 years old, and he is still out there making a speech on Centre Court of Wimbledon. And I loved it,” Jimmy Connors said, laughing, on the Advantage Connors podcast.

Connors remarked that if he were to be in Djokovic's position, he would want the younger athletes to prove their mettle by dethroning him first, the way Alcaraz did in the 2023 Wimbledon final.

“Because, what are you gonna do? Let him play until he is 50? You know, believe me, if that was me, if I was in his place right now, I’d say, play me until you kill me. Because there’s only one guy that’s doing it right now, and that’s Alcaraz,” he added.

---

"They have controlled and ruled tennis for the last 15-16-18 years" – Jimmy Connors on Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

The Big 3 at Laver Cup

Jimmy Connors also explained how he and his peers established themselves on tour with a united mission of ending the reign of legends such as Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, and Pancho Gonzales.

“I came up with a group of guys. I came up with 10-12 guys that eventually all were in the top-10 of the world. You know, when we came in, we had a mission. It wasn’t a discussed thing but our mission was that, ‘Hey, we’ve got a good group here. Let’s take over,’” the American recalled.

Jimmy Connors himself enjoyed a long reign on tour; he held the World No. 1 position for 268 weeks. Additionally, Connors still holds the record for the most titles won by a man in the Open Era with 109 - eight of which are Grand Slams.

The 70-year-old, however, said that every successful athlete’s domination reaches its end. He suggested that, as has happened with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (who will likely play his final season in 2024), Novak Djokovic’s reign too will eventually be halted by the young players.

“Everybody has their time. I had my time; (Ken) Rosewall had his time; (Pancho) Gonzales had his time. (Pancho) Segura had his time; (Don) Budge had his time. Go back to how far you want to go. And now, you see, Federer and Nadal and (Djokovic) – the three of them, how they have controlled and ruled tennis for the last 15-16-18, 87 years, whatever,” he said.

Connors further opined that the current young generation of promising stars, which includes the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner, and Lorenzo Musetti, need to step up their game and start posing a real, consistent threat to Novak Djokovic with a vision of creating their own era.

“Everybody has their time. That’s why I always say, these young guys need to come up and start taking control, and running the game. Because, you know, they are the future of the game. And whom are they gonna look up to? Are they going to look up to (Djokovic)?” Jimmy Connors said.