Carlos Alcaraz had previously faced Novak Djokovic in Paris, and the match ended up being quite painful for him.
The Spaniard had won a set against Djokovic and looked well on his way to possibly turning around the whole match when cramps hit. The cramps ultimately proved decisive, as the Serbian was able to win the match.
It offered Alcaraz a chance to see just how difficult it truly is to play against Djokovic in the French capital. He's played him on all surfaces, and he didn't win all of those matches, which means that he's seen the best of the 24-time major winner across the board.
He finds it very difficult to deal with him, which he explained recently at the 2024 Roland Garros, where they may meet again.
"Well, he's a really tough on every surface, but here on clay he puts so much pressure on you in every point… the first point to the last one you have to play long rallies, like seven, eight, nine balls."
"Every rally at your 100%, at your best level. For him it is normal, but most of the players it’s really demanding."
To beat Djokovic, players really need to focus the entire match long and bring intensity to every point because the moment they let off, Djokovic will bounce back.
A lot of players struggle with that because they can't keep it up. They keep it up for a while and then drop in level, so having to do that is really tough for Alcaraz.
"So I think most of the players it is really difficult to stay at this high of a level level of tennis, really high level of intensity. Mental part is a really important part as well. I remember last year that I couldn't finish the match at my 100% because in just two sets my intensity was down."
"I couldn't stay at 100%. For him, okay, it was normal. I'm going to say that's the most difficult part of facing Novak here on this surface."
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