The rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz has captivated tennis fans for its sheer eddying excitement this season.
There have been so many awesome tennis matches in 2023, but for an adrenaline thrill, this rivalry has no recent equivalent this season, and there has not been one match that reached the same pitch of intensity as some of their battles this season.
But when the dust settles, and the covers on the tennis balls are worn, there is mutual respect between both players. This inter-generational matchup has defined the 2023 ATP tennis season, and Djokovic has seen plentiful evidence that suggests the future of men's tennis is in safe hands.
The man he believes will carry this sport for many more years is none other than Carlos Alcaraz, who he thinks ticks all the boxes of the qualities embodied by a "spectacular" athlete. Djokovic also sang the praises for the other two of the current generation of youngsters who are taking the tennis world by storm.
Those are Jannik Sinner, who sits at a career-best ranking of No. 4, and Holger Rune, who sensationally beat Djokovic to win his first Masters title last autumn. But the Serbian ace placed the 20-year-old Alcaraz ahead of the duo because of his "complete game" and his impressive mentality.
"Carlos is a spectacular player. Also a very good person, with very good values. His entire team, his family, are good people. He's 20 years old, so he has a lot of time."
"I'm not the only one who says this, but the future of tennis is Alcaraz, also Rune and Sinner, but especially Alcaraz because he has a very complete game. But also he impressed me a lot with his mentality, the ability to fight with pressure. It's very impressive for a young player."
At just 20, Alcaraz has won two Grand Slams (the first man born after the 1990s to win multiple Slams), and four Masters titles. He has also ascended to World No. 1 in his short career so far and has given Djokovic some intriguing battles in the series, which the Serbian currently leads 3-2.
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