Having lost the top spot in ATP rankings, Serbian great Novak Djokovic managed to dismantle Carlos Alcaraz to reach the pinnacle this year. With three Grand Slam titles under his belt, Djokovic has certainly had a fabulous outing in 2023. Djokovic missed out on the Wimbledon title as he was defeated by former world number one Alcaraz. Djokovic has now stated that he feels the future of tennis is in good hands with Alcaraz leading from the front.
“I think tennis, definitely the future is looking good with Carlos leading that field. We’ve had some thrilling encounters… This year with the final at Wimbledon and also Roland Garros and Cincinnati – that was one of the best three-set matches I’ve ever played,” Djokovic told Sky Sports during the All Star Match in the build-up to the 44th Ryder Cup.
The rivalry between Djokovic and Alcaraz reached greater heights this year as the top-two ranked tennis players were involved in three enticing encounters in 2023. Djokovic and Alcaraz have two wins to their name in their head-to-head meetings. Both of Djokovic’s victories against his Spanish opponent occurred this year.
Alcaraz, on the other hand, earned his first win against Djokovic in 2022. The 20-year-old’s second victory against Djokovic appeared in a thrilling Wimbledon final this year. Alcaraz prevailed over Djokovic 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 to claim his maiden Wimbledon title.
Talking about his duel with Alcaraz, the 24-time Grand Slam-winner said, “Hopefully I’ll play him as many times as I played the other guys and that will mean I’ll be playing for years to come. But I doubt that, let’s see how it goes. I’ve had a fantastic year. Grand Slams are the ones that count the most for me at this point of my career, they’re the ones where I want to play my best tennis. This year, (winning) three out of four Slams and another final, I couldn’t ask for more.”
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz last faced each other in the final of the Western & Southern Open title in Cincinnati, Ohio earlier this year in August. The Serb recorded a resounding 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) victory to clinch his first title on US soil since 2021.
Djokovic carried forward his brilliance in the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year having earned a historic US Open title. Djokovic got the better of Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 to emerge victorious at the Flushing Meadows. With this triumph, Djokovic succeeded in becoming the first tennis player to secure 24 Grand Slam singles titles in the Open era.
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