Novak Djokovic Reflects on Rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz and Davis Cup Success

Novak Djokovic celebrates a victory in the Davis (EFE/Jorge Zapata)

If there has been a tennis player capable of tightening the screws in 2023 on an otherwise intractable Novak Djokovic, it has been Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard has been the cause of the world number one being left without a full number of Grand Slams this year: he won all of them except Wimbledon, which went to the current second-ranked player in the ATP. The rivalry between the two is already a fact, with a mutual respect that neither of them ignores every time they refer to the other.

Alcaraz’s season ended with the ATP Finals in Turin. A title finally won by Nole, whose course is being extended in the Davis Cup Finals, which are being played this weekend in Malaga. Serbia will be in the semifinals this Saturday, with Jannik Sinner’s Italy, the Balkan’s recent executioner, on the other side of the net. Before starting to look for the Salad Bowl, which he already lifted in 2010, Djokovic gave interviews to some Spanish media. In them, in addition to criticizing that the sole venue of the event has been Spain since 2019, he once again praised Carlitos.

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Djokovic in Davis (REUTERS/Jon Nazca)

The player with the most majors in the history of the men’s circuit (24) wanted to highlight the weight that Juan Carlos Ferrero has in the success of Alcaraz. He did so following the latest statements from the young man’s coach from Murcia, who asks his pupil to learn from Djokovic’s professionalism. “It is appreciated that you say that about me. I have a lot of respect for Ferrero, based on the fact that he was number one. He always impressed me with how professional he was and the seriousness with which he dedicated himself to tennis. It is obvious that he has helped Alcaraz a lot. Not only to achieve success, but to maintain humility and a champion mentality. Thanks to Juan Carlos and the education of his family, he is more mature than his age suggests. He is only 20 years old, but on the track he behaves like someone who has a lot of experience and maturity,” the one from Belgrade acknowledged to MARCA.

The world number one in tennis, Carlos Alcaraz, has three brothers. Two of them are also involved in the world of tennis

Nor did he avoid the question about the glass that Alcaraz took from him on the London grass. “I have no remorse of conscience. I try to look forward and in all the grand finals that I have lost there is always a reason. I try to learn from it and the experience of losing in a Grand Slam final motivates me even more. I lost at Wimbledon and since then I won everything except the match with Sinner in the group stage in Turin. If I analyze the year, I could say that it was good for me to lose to Carlos, because he motivated me for the rest of the season,” Nole also pointed out to the Spanish sports newspaper.

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In conversation with another exponent of the Spanish sports press, AS, Djokovic cried out against the repetition of Spain as the venue for the decisive section of the last editions of the Davis Cup. “Personally, I think the best format would be something halfway between the old one and this one. I think not having played in Serbia for many years is not ideal. Playing there benefits our federation and the young players. I don’t have a perfect format in mind, it would be good to discuss it. But with the players, the teams… Everyone should have a voice. We are an integral part of the competition and could provide valuable information. That a country like Spain has been playing at home for four or five years is too much. “This is a global competition and perhaps at least from the semi-finals it should be played with home and away, as before,” he said.

Alcaraz at the ATP Finals (REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane)

In this second interview, Djokovic left new praise for Alcaraz: “We get along very well. Of course, on the court we want to beat each other and be number one, but at the end of the day, when the match or the tournament is over, we show respect and appreciation to each other.”

2023-11-24 16:41:00
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