Novak Djokovic knows what it feels like to be a tennis prodigy, and that's maybe one of the reasons why he defended Carlos Alcaraz from unfair criticism.
Djokovic may not have managed to win many Grand Slam titles in the early years of his tennis career, but quite quickly, it was obvious that he was one of the most talented players on the ATP Tour.
In fact, at 23 years of age, Djokovic still had only one Grand Slam title to his name, which seems incredible, considering that he went on to win 24 majors in the following decade and a half.
Alcaraz has already won four majors, and he's still only 21. What the young Spaniard managed to achieve on the tennis court is incredibly, but he still can't escape unrealistic expectations and criticism.
Many would want to see Alcaraz winning even more, but those are levels that no one has ever managed to achieve at that age, which is why those expectations are unrealistic.
Coming out of Spain, Alcaraz probably knew that he would always have to face plenty of those expectations, but according to Djokovic, who spoke to TNT Sports in Madrid, having such expectations is not fair to Alcaraz.
"No, I don't understand it. But the atmosphere and tradition of tennis in this country is very high. The expectation is enormous after Nadal, [Carlos] Moya, [Juan Carlos] Ferrero... they've all been world No. 1."
"But, listen. He's 21 years old, he's won four Grand Slams and many tournaments. What more do you want? You want more, but what he's done in this period is incredible."
During the interview, Djokovic also spoke about his chances at the upcoming Madrid Open, as well as during this year's clay-court season. The Serbian player remained cautious in his predictions.
At the same time, the 24-time Grand Slam champion is one of the favorites anywhere he goes, especially since he has won almost every tournament that is out there. In Madrid specifically, Djokovic lifted three trophies in the past.
"I'm always optimistic, but I don't know if I'm one of the favourites because I'm not having very good results this year. The level I'm looking for could come here or at Roland-Garros, I hope it will be here."
"I always have very good feelings when I return to Madrid, to Spain. It's a country I love very much. I've won the Madrid Open three times in my career, with extraordinary matches against Nadal and Alcaraz."
"I've played little here in the last six to seven years, but I missed the Spanish public, because they know the sport well and respect tennis a lot. I have a good feeling, and I hope to have a good tournament."
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