Casper Ruud talked about the undeniable qualities that Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic possess ahead of the 2023 US Open.
Flushing Meadows is abuzz with anticipation. Two tennis, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, are heading into the US Open as the top two seeds, fans can't help but dream of a show-stopping final between the duo.
Yet, as Casper Ruud pointed out when talking to Eurosport, the Alcaraz advantage might be his ability to pick up the pace even faster than Djokovic. Both possess a comprehensive range of shots and are known for their incredible court coverage, but according to the Norwegian, the 20-year-old can 'accelerate even more.'
"Carlos and Novak, they kind of play similar tennis in a way. Just there's one thing that they do opposite. I mean, they have kind of all shots in the book. But Carlos maybe plays at a little higher speed in the way he can accelerate even more."
Ruud's recent chat with Eurosport's Barbara Schett highlighted these similarities. Although the Norwegian could identify some differences, ultimately, it's the movement that defies them both and makes it so difficult for their opponents to play against them.
"But they move great. They have all shots. It's tough to find their weaknesses. They both have a good drop shot. Carlos plays maybe more forehands, Novak defends from the backhand side."
But the list of qualities that the two-time Grand Slam champion and 23-time Grand Slam champion possess doesn't end with movement. Djokovic, who is also a good impersonator, and Alcaraz are both good also on the net, and both have good returns, as Ruud suggests.
"They're good enough as it is on the net. They've got good hand skills and their returns are great. So obviously it's always going to be a good match-up when they play each other. And you've seen it in the past four times that they've played and they have 2-2 head-to-head."
Despite wanting to play the final himself, Ruud knows that another match between the two is something that everyone wants to see, but the Norwegian will do his best to stop that from happening.
"It's always been a really, really good match. It's a match-up that is going to be a treat for fans and who knows for how many years. When they play it's going to be interesting and I'm one of the players who are going to try to stop them from playing again here in New York because it means that if they play, it's in the final."
"So everyone else also wants to reach the final, but they're now the guys who mostly fans will keep their eyes on during the tournament. And they're the two biggest favourites for sure."
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