"I had luck that Djokovic couldn't play" - Alcaraz admits after US Open triumph
ATP
Carlos Alcaraz admitted that he was lucky that Novak Djokovic didn't compete at the 2022 US Open. The Spaniard won his maiden title in New York.
The 19-year-old's win at the US Open came after Djokovic and Roger Federer were absent from the last Grand Slam tournament of the season, and Rafael Nadal wasn't 100% fit and lost already in the fourth round.
However, Alcaraz was still the best player and beat everyone on his way to the title. He deservingly lifted the trophy after two weeks, but he was still able to recognize the absence of these legends.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Alcaraz spoke about how he sees his triumph and explained that he doesn't want to take credit away from himself but still recognizes that a big part of the Big Three was missing at the 2022 US Open.
"Look, I don’t want to take credit away from myself but it’s true that Rafa, Djokovic, Federer, they were in a period when they were all playing. I had the luck or whatever you want to call it that Djokovic could not play. Everybody has their reasons, but that is the reality. He could not play much for a while, and Rafa kept playing but not all year, either."
At the same time, Alcaraz is aware of what he has achieved. He knows he has played extremely well throughout the season to get into this position, and it paid off, as he's now a Grand Slam champion and the youngest World No. 1 player in the history of the ATP Tour.
"But like I said, I don’t want to take credit away from myself. I have been playing all season, playing incredible matches and incredible tournaments, and I’ve worked really hard so that things like this could happen."
