Carlos Alcaraz intends to “perform at a high level” on the court until he’s 37 just like his rival Novak Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz has competed on the ATP Tour for just five years, securing four Grand Slam titles and spending several weeks as World No. 1.

Carlos Alcaraz intends to “perform at a high level” on the court until he’s 37 just like his rival Novak Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic (Images via ATP/X)

Carlos Alcaraz is only 21 years of age but the Spaniard has already claimed four Grand Slam titles and ended the year as World No.1 in 2022. He has been dubbed to take the place of Rafael Nadal on the court. However, he’s already aiming to play at the highest level of tennis in his late 30s, just like Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz has only been five years in the ATP Tour, but he already has more achievements than many players who have been there a decade more than him. The World No.3 played his first Tour draw at 16 in February 2020, and since then, the rest has been history. Last year, he won back-to-back Grand Slam events in Paris and London.

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On the other hand, Djokovic is the only player among the golden generation of tennis that is still competing at the highest level. In fact, despite nearing 38, he’s ranked World No.7 in the ATP rankings. Out of his 24 Major titles, Djokovic won 12 of them after he turned 30, which is a phenomenon no other player has achieved.

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Alcaraz understands that to challenge as one of the greatest players of the sport, he needs to compete even in his 30s. During an interview, he said he’s taking care of himself physically and tennis-wise to continue playing at 37 like Djokovic.

Hopefully, I can endure like them and continue to perform at a high level at 37, 38 years old. But right now, I’m thinking about the next five years and, gradually, trying to take care of myself physically and tennis-wise to be able to endure like them.

Carlos Alcaraz said via BB Tennis

Alcaraz won his first title of the season at the Rotterdam Open after losing to Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. Then, the Spaniard suffered a shocking defeat to Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open.

Former World No.21 questions Novak Djokovic emotional state of mind after Qatar Open’s early exit

Novak Djokovic recently suffered a disappointing exit at the Qatar Open after losing to Matteo Berrettini in straight sets in the first round. It was the first time the former World No.1 lost in the first round since the 2022 Monte Carlo Masters.

Despite the defeat, Djokovic has insisted that he has no plans of retiring. Rather, he looks forward to playing more than this season.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image via ATP/X)

However, Former ATP No.21 Steve Johnson has questioned Djokovic’s current emotional state of mind. The American added that he looked emotionally flat during his loss to Berrettini at the Qatar Open.

It sometimes feels that he is a bit flat emotionally, which has usually never been the case for him. So he has earned the right to play whatever schedule he deserves and wants to do. It’s a tough draw going against Berrettini who played really well that match, the serve, the forehand. Everything was going well. So it’s interesting to watch Novak in these events because the Doha title will not further his legacy, so I’m not sure about his emotional investment.

Steve Johnson said via Nothing Major podcast

Djokovic returned from injury to compete at the Qatar Open, which might have led to the loss. With the experience of Doha, the Serbian ace will be looking forward to making sure that it doesn’t repeat itself at the Indian Wells Masters.