Novak Djokovic recently gave his thoughts on Carlos Alcaraz’s bid for greatness. The Serb believes that while the young Spaniard has already promised a lot at 21, he may want to slow down before making high promises to himself.
Alcaraz enjoyed a remarkable season on the ATP Tour last year, winning four titles – two of which came at the French Open and Wimbledon. However, it fell two places from No. 1 in the world at No. 3 in the year-end rankings, leading to concerns about his consistency.
That said, Alcaraz He did not hesitate to express his positive aspirations last year when he said he wanted to be “a part of tennis history”. He also talked about the 24-time Major winner’s career awards as a benchmark.
“I know it’s almost impossible to break Novak’s records, but I play tennis for myself, for joy and I want to do great things,” Carlos Alcaraz said last year (via BBC Sport). “I want to be part of tennis history.”
Against this backdrop, Novak Djokovic expressed his views on the Spaniard’s ambitious attitude while speaking to GQ. The 37-year-old started by supporting the No. 3 in the world, predicting that he will likely complete the career Grand Slam at some point in his career.
However, he admitted in the same breath that it may not be Alcaraz’s turn to think about his place in tennis history just yet.
“Carlos has done something that no one in history has done at such a young age. So the odds are with him. He will end his Slam career very soon,” Novak Djokovic told GQ. “He’s even said it himself, he wants to make history. He wants to be ‘the best in history.’ I respect that kind of mentality of ‘Hey, I think I got the goods.’ But maybe it’s a little early for him to think about history.” .
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are expected to meet in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Australian Open
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are set to renew their rivalry in 2025 Australian Open. The Spaniard and the Serb share the same quarter, meaning only one of them will reach the semi-finals in Melbourne.
Alcaraz will need to be at his best to overcome the 24-time Major winner if they meet in the last eight. He trails Djokovic by a slim 3-4 in their head-to-head meetings on the ATP Tour, giving the 37-year-old a strong chance of winning their next match.
Edited by Prathik BR
2025-01-09 23:35:00
