Carlos Alcaraz has acknowledged that he plans on sticking to a specific plan when facing Novak Djokovic in the ATP Finals semifinal. The pairs’ head-to-head record is tied at 2-2, setting up an exciting fifth meeting between them. Alcaraz is now obsessed after defeating Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev in this week’s group stage match, saying he would try to win again by doing the same things he did before those matches.
Alcaraz will now attempt to advance further and win the whole competition, but world No. 1 Djokovic will be a very formidable opponent in the semifinals.
On Saturday night, the two will compete in a much-awaited match that marks their first encounter in three months. In an effort to defeat the six-time past champion and advance to the final, Alcaraz will be attempting to duplicate everything he did prior to his other ATP Finals match victories.
Alcaraz expressed his thoughts about his routine during a conversation and said: “Well, I usually do the same routine before the match. Probably repeat some things that I’m doing. If I win, I would like to repeat a few things. Facing Novak, probably I will do some specific things mentally to be 100 percent ready to face the match tomorrow.”
He further added: “Probably I’m stronger mentally. Right now, compared to Paris, I’ve spoken about dealing with the pressure and dealing with tough, tough moments. In Paris, I didn’t deal with the pressure. I learned about that situation. Then came Wimbledon, and then came Cincinnati. It was a really, really good match.”
Furthermore, Alcaraz stated that he does not anticipate any of the pressure on Saturday. He said: “I think facing someone like Novak, you have to stay strong mentally and deal with the pressure that he puts on you in every ball, in every point. I think I learned a lot about that. I think I’m ready to face him tomorrow.”
Carlos Alcaraz says he’s stronger mentally than he was when he played Djokovic at Roland Garros:
“Probably I'm stronger mentally. Right now, comparing to Paris, I've spoken about dealing with the pressure, dealing with tough, tough moments. In Paris I didn't deal with the… pic.twitter.com/nvBY4aZDmK
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 17, 2023
Carlos Alcaraz in 2023
LWWLLLWWLW Ranked world no.2, the Spaniard played his last match on the 17th of November when he overcame world no.3 Daniil Medvedev 6-4 6-4 in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
At present, during this year the Spaniard owns a 65-11 match record. The Spaniard clinched 6 titles in 2023 in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Wimbledon. Carlos got to the final in Rio de Janeiro and Cincinnati.
Novak Djokovic in 2023
LWWWWLWWWW Ranked no.1, Novak played his last match on the 16th of November when he overcame world no.9 Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(1) 4-6 6-1 in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
This year the Serbian has an overall 53-6 match record. Novak conquered 6 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open, French Open, Cincinnati, U.S. Open and Paris. Djokovic was the finalist in Wimbledon.
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic fought against each other 4 times. Their current record is 2-2. Before, the last time they played, Novak Djokovic won 5-7 7-6(7) 7-6(4) in the final in Cincinnati (Western & Southern Open) on the 20th of August 2023.
Here are the highlights.
