When it comes to rising tennis stars, the name Carlos Alcaraz is on everyone's lips, even Novak Djokovic's.
The young Spanish sensation has been making the headlines on the ATP Tour and it was mostly thanks to his incredible performance and success. Therefore, it's not a surprise that also his possible rivals get asked about him as Djokovic was as he heaped praise on him, calling Alcaraz a "complete player."
Djokovic's admiration for Alcaraz's performance over the last year and a half is evident, as he has watched the prodigy rise through the ranks and become one of the best players on any surface, taking the discussion about whether he's a better hard or clay-court player out of the equation.
"The way he has been playing recently, but also in the last year and a half, he has been one of the best players in the world on any surface. And he has proven he can win a Grand Slam. He won on a hard court, where probably most people thought he was going to win his first Slam on clay. So that tells you how complete of a player he is. I think he has a great mentality and fighting spirit. Very very complete player."
The emergence of Alcaraz as a powerhouse on the tennis scene not only bodes well for the sport but also promises the arrival of a new generation of rivalries. Djokovic pointed out the thrilling battles between Alcaraz and Italian phenom Jannik Sinner as prime examples of the kind of competition fans can expect in the coming years.
"It's amazing for our sport to have a champion like him. And he's so young... It's also refreshing to have another great rivalry that people get excited about, the one between him and Jannik Sinner. We have seen exciting matches between them at Indian Wells and Miami. I'm sure these two guys, as well as Holger Rune, will be the leaders. So maybe that's the next Big 3."
Djokovic's predictions for the future of tennis extend beyond just Alcaraz and Sinner. He also sees Denmark's Holger Rune as part of the next generation of leaders in the sport. According to Djokovic, who said it with a smile on his face, this new trio has the potential to become the next "Big 3," reminiscent of the era defined by himself, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.
0 Comments