Carlos Alcaraz transformed from a young player that may beat the highest-ranked players in the future to the youngest world no. 1 in the history of men's tennis.
However, it's important to mention that a lot of circumstances helped the young Spaniard to reach the spot so quickly. Players didn't receive points at this year's Wimbledon and last year's no. 1, Novak Djokovic was unable to play at two out of four Grand Slam tournaments.
Obviously, there is nothing to take away from Alcaraz as also Djokovic mentioned when talking about qualities of the youngster.
“Alcaraz is the world number one, he is the best. Nothing more to add, the rankings show it. It is a fact that I played less, Wimbledon points did not count, maybe it would have been different in different circumstances, but that is a ’what if’,” Djokovic told Sportal.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion also spoke about the influence that Alcaraz has in terms of bringing more eyeballs to tennis.
“It is what it is, he absolutely deserved to be where he is – I congratulate him for all the success he has had. I think it is great for tennis that such a young guy achieved so many historic results and milestones, because that attracts a lot of attention for our sport, so we all benefit.”
The Serbian also hinted that he's ready to dethrone the young Spaniard next year if his big rival Rafael Nadal doesn't do it this year. This time, he's expected to play also in Australia, where many of his opponents defend points while he has nothing to defend from last year.
“I am sure that Nadal will try to dethrone him until the end of the year, he has got a chance,” Djokovic added. “And then we turn a new leaf next season, let’s see what happens.”
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