In an exhibition match, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will compete on December 27 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Djokovic was all praise for his opponent, declaring to the pre-exhibition media that he would be the next sporting superstar.
Djokovic cited Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer as examples, saying that their time is running out and that the emergence of Alcaraz is the best thing for the sport to maintain its dominance.
Djokovic expressed his thoughts about Alcaraz and said: “He will be one of the great leaders of this sport for the next 10–15 years and we will continue to see many things from him (Alcaraz) in the biggest tournaments. Nadal didn’t play in 2023; Federer retired. Our generation is running out, but what emerges in Alcaraz is great.”
Novak Djokovic in 2023
Now ranked no.1, Novak played his last match on the 25th of November when he capitulated to world no.4 Jannik Sinner 6-2 2-6 7-5 in the Rubber 2 of the Davis Cup (draw).
Presently, during this year Djokovic has managed to achieve a 56-7 win-loss record. Djokovic has won 7 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open, French Open, Cincinnati, U.S. Open, Paris and the Nitto ATP Finals. Djokovic was the finalist in Wimbledon.
Djokovic will compete next at the Australian Open (Australian Open)
. He will start from the main draw that will commence on the 14th of January.Carlos Alcaraz in 2023
Ranked world no.
2, the Spaniard played his last match on the 18th of November when he lost to world no.1 Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-2 in the semifinal in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).This year Alcaraz has achieved a composed 65-12 record. The Spaniard has won 6 titles in 2023 in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Wimbledon. Carlos was the finalist in Rio de Janeiro and Cincinnati.
Alcaraz has scheduled to compete next at the Australian Open (Australian Open). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 14th of January.
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz fought against each other 5 times. Their head to head is 3-2 for Djokovic. Previously, the last time they played, Novak Djokovic won 6-3 6-2 in the semifinal in Turin (Nitto ATP Finals) on the 18th of November 2023.
In the following video you can watch the highlights.