Novak Djokovic considers ‘this’ person fundamental to Carlos Alcaraz’s maturity on the ATP Tour

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz along with other top tennis players will compete at the 2025 Qatar Open in Doha.

Novak Djokovic considers ‘this’ person fundamental to Carlos Alcaraz’s maturity on the ATP Tour

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic (via Instagram)

Considering the level of tennis he reached in Melbourne, Novak Djokovic exudes great confidence about his game for the rest of the season as he returns to tour with the Qatar Open. Reflecting back on the type of game he showed in the victory in the quarterfinals against Carlos Alcaraz, he believes that he would have had a great chance against Alexander Zverev.

Djokovic has high praises for Alcaraz, with whom he has had a thrilling rivalry in recent years. The Serb credits the 21-year-old’s maturity on court to his coach, former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero. On tour, Ferrero had won 16 ATP singles titles, including the 2003 French Open.

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“Alcaraz behaves as if he has been on the circuit for 10 years or more. I think this is due to great education, the environment he is in, his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, a Grand Slam champion who has taught him from a very young age what it means to be an athlete, not only in the competitive aspect but also in learning what the values of sports are, how you can be a guide for younger generations.”

Novak Djokovic (via Punto De Break)

In July 2017, Ferrero started working as a tennis coach for then-world No. 11 Alexander Zverev. However, their partnership ended in February 2018 due to rumoured differences between them.

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In 2019, Ferrero then began coaching 16-year-old Alcaraz. Their partnership has to date produced 17 tournament wins on the ATP Tour, including four Grand Slam titles and five Masters 1000 titles. Alcaraz also became the youngest World No. 1 in Open Era history under Ferrero’s coaching, which he achieved in September 2022 at the age of 19.

Novak Djokovic is aiming for his 100th career title at the Qatar Open

Novak Djokovic is set to return to tour with the Qatar Open, which takes place between 17 and 22 February 2025. His return is highly anticipated, as he had to withdraw from the Australian Open semifinal match after the first set due to a painful hamstring injury.

Carlos Alcaraz Juan Carlos Ferrero
Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero (via Instagram)

After a titleless 2024 season, Djokovic hopes his 100th title can come in Doha, a place where he has reigned as champion twice. The Serbian defeated Rafael Nadal in the 2016 finals and his present coach Andy Murray in the 2017 finals to clinch this title.

This hard court tournament, which is part of the ATP Tour 500 level, will feature several top men’s tennis players. Jannik Sinner, who also withdrew from his next tournament of the season, the Rotterdam Open, is set to return with the Qatar Open.

The 2025 Rotterdam Open was meanwhile won by Carlos Alcaraz, who clinched his first indor title by defeating Alex de Minaur in the finals. Both Alcaraz and de Minaur are also going to compete in the Qatar Open. Some other players in this tournament include Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.