Novak Djokovic has showered praise on Carlos Alcaraz, who is hogging the limelight with his impressive play. The Serbian feels Alcaraz deserved the Grand Slam title and also the number one ranking. The Spaniard won his first Major by lifting the US Open title after beating Casper Ruud in the final.
With it, the youngster also claimed the number-one position in the ATP rankings. However, Djokovic soon snatched the top position from Alcaraz after he won the Australian Open for the 10th time and it was record-leveling 22nd Grand Slam title for him.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz couldn’t take part in the Happy Slam due to a leg injury but the young gun was able to hit the ground running at the Argentina Open, winning the first tournament he played in the season.
Novak Djokovic said in a press conference in Belgrade, “It is impressive that Alcaraz finds his best level as soon as he returns, that is something typical of a mature and experienced player. He doesn’t have that much, but he is showing a lot of maturity. He’s a great guy, he has a very good team around him and he deserves every success. He is playing at a high level, especially after being injured for so long.”
He continued, “He brings a fresh energy to tennis, with a very striking game and personality. He deserved to be number one and win a Grand Slam, I only have praise for him as a person, but also as a tennis player since he doesn’t have many flaws, he can play equally well on all surfaces.”
He added, “He had an injury, but continued his winning streak. At this point, I don’t have to maintain first place in the ranking as an absolute priority. There may be a change in a few weeks, but the priority is to stay healthy and be in the best shape possible.”
Meanwhile, Alcaraz has definitely shown the skills to dominate the sport in the upcoming decade. The Spaniard will face Dušan Lajović in the quarterfinal of the Rio Open.
On the other hand, Novak Djokovic will take part in the Dubai Duty-Free Championships.
