Djokovic: “Carlos Alcaraz is going to lead the next 10 or 15 years”
The Serb, who faces Alcaraz in Riyadh, believes the Spanish superstar will be the face of tennis for a long time.
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic have lived quite a few intense battles this year and on the courts, there has been nothing but amazing fights until the very end and lots of tension, especially from Novak Djokovic, who expresses his frustrations and nerves when the going gets tough.
However, outside the courts, the Serb is often seen with a smile, making jokes or praising other players. And that’s what he did when he was asked about Alcaraz before their exhibition match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Both players are preparing for the new season to be fully fit and ready for the start of the new season and now they will face each other in a match where neither of them has nothing to lose, except for the confidence part.
Carlitos lost his last two matches to the Serb after defeating him in the Wimbledon final, and another loss here could be a mental blow with only a few days to go before the start of the Australian Open.
Djokovic compliments Alcaraz
The world No. 1 spoke highly of the Murcia native when asked about him and the rivalries that Nole had with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.
After saying that Alcaraz, Sinner, and Rune were the future of tennis some months ago, now the 24-time major champion said that Alcaraz will likely be the player to take the reigns of tennis in the future:
“It’s good that there’s a great new rivalry in tennis. He’s going to lead for the next 10 or 15 years”.
“Rafa didn’t play in 2023, Federer retired... Our generation is coming to an end, but the emergence of Alcaraz is great”, he added.
Djokovic has some great challenges in 2024, like winning the Grand Slam (all four majors in the same season), overtaking Jimmy Connors as the player with the most ATP titles won ever and winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games in the men’s singles category.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, will be looking to win more majors and become stronger mentally and more durable after the US Open, as he has been struggling to keep his level once all four Grand Slam tournaments came to an end for the last two seasons.