Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz also hold a great deal of respect for one another, though they are currently among the ATP Tour’s fiercest rivals.
There were no players more dominant than Djokovic and Alcaraz in 2023. Except for Wimbledon, where the Spaniard prevailed, his opponent took home the other three Grand Slam titles. The two were among the most popular athletes in the world, which is not surprising, and their rivalry kept tennis fans on the edge of their seats throughout the 2023 season.
According to the Serbian, he gets hungry for players like Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune, and Alcaraz, which drives him to keep working hard and ultimately succeed. The 24-time Grand Slam champion believes that Alcaraz is a complete player, but he also finds inspiration in the traits and accomplishments of the Spaniard.
According to Djokovic, Alcaraz’s skill inspires him to improve and reinvent himself, something he has done successfully on several occasions on his way to winning 24 major titles.
Djokovic expressed his remarks in a recent interview about Alcaraz and said: “He’s as complete of a player I’ve seen in ages. The loss at Wimbledon pissed me off so much that I needed to win everything on American soil, which I did. It’s a great opportunity for me to reinvent myself and push harder than I ever did.”
Novak Djokovic in 2023
Now ranked no.1, the Serbian played his last match on the 25th
of November when he was overcome by world no.4 Jannik Sinner 6-2 2-6 7-5 in the Rubber 2 of the Davis Cup (draw).This season the Serbian has a compiled 56-7 record. The Serbian clinched 7 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open, French Open, Cincinnati, U.S. Open, Paris and the Nitto ATP Finals. Djokovic reached the final in Wimbledon.
Carlos Alcaraz in 2023
Now the world no.2, the Spaniard played his last match on the 18th of November when he was defeated by world no.1 Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-2 in the semifinal in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
At present, during this year the Spaniard has achieved a 65-12 match record. Alcaraz conquered 6 titles in 2023 in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Wimbledon. Alcaraz got to the final in Rio de Janeiro and Cincinnati.
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz played each other 5 times. Their record is 3-2 for Djokovic. Before, the last time they squared off, Novak Djokovic won 6-3 6-2 in the semifinal in Turin (Nitto ATP Finals) on the 18th of November 2023.
Here the video highlights.