‘The future is looking good for tennis’ – Novak Djokovic on Alcaraz’s breakout performances
Novak Djokovic believes the stunning arrival of Carlos Alcaraz onto the tennis scene in the last couple of years – and his burgeoning rivalry with the young Spaniard – means the future of the sport is in good hands.
Djokovic, who has shared the No. 1 ranking with Alcaraz this year, won three of the four Grand Slam titles in 2023 and was only denied a calendar Slam following defeat to Alcaraz in a thrilling Wimbledon final in July.
It was Alcaraz’s second major following his US Open success in 2022, with the current world No. 2 widely backed for more success in the coming years.
Their showdown at SW19 was one of three enthralling meetings between the pair this year, with the Serbian winning their French Open semi-final clash a month earlier as well as their epic Cincinnati Masters final clash in August.
“I think tennis, definitely the future is looking good with Carlos leading that field,” Djokovic told Sky Sports, per Reuters, as the Serbian took part in a celebrity all-star golf match ahead of the Ryder Cup.
“We’ve had some thrilling encounters. This year with the final at Wimbledon and also Roland-Garros and Cincinnati – that was one of the best three-set matches I’ve ever played.”
Djokovic has played a major role in arguably the greatest era of men’s tennis, following long-standing battles with other members of the sport’s ‘Big Four’: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
Following the retirement of Federer and fitness issues impacting Nadal and Murray, the 24-time Grand Slam winner has welcomed a new rivalry in the latter years of his own career.
“It’s great for our sport there are more rivalries happening but rivalries with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal particularly and also with Andy Murray are right up there for me,” the 36-year-old said.
“Hopefully I’ll play him [Alcaraz] as many times as I played the other guys and that will mean I’ll be playing for years to come.
“But I doubt that, let’s see how it goes.”
Despite his advancing years, Djokovic is showing little sign of slowing down after another sensational year.
After getting the better of Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the Australian Open, Djokovic overcame Casper Ruud in the Roland-Garros final.
He was able to shrug off the disappointment of his loss to Alcaraz at Wimbledon by storming back to win the US Open, beating Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Victory in New York saw him claim his 24th major singles title, equalling the record held by Margaret Court.
I’ve had a fantastic year. Grand Slams are the ones that count the most for me at this point of my career, they’re the ones where I want to play my best tennis,” Djokovic said.
“This year, three out of four Slams and another final, I couldn’t ask for more.”
