Carlos Alcaraz is the only one pushing Novak Djokovic to his limits observes Justine Henin praising the duo for the ‘best’ rivalry on the Tour

Justine Henin believes that Alcaraz is pushing Djokovic to new heights.

Carlos Alcaraz is the only one pushing Novak Djokovic to his limits observes Justine Henin praising the duo for the ‘best’ rivalry on the Tour

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic after the Wimbledon 2023 final (Credits : Wimbledon)

Two-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz has arguably been the best candidate from the so-called Next Generation of tennis players to challenge the dominance of the Big 3 of tennis. The World No.1 won his first Grand Slam at the 2022 US Open Championships. Following the win, Alcaraz became the youngest man in history and the first teenager in the Open Era to top the singles rankings at 19 years, four months, and six days old.

Recently, the Spaniard put on a spine-tingling performance to beat the favorite, Novak Djokovic, in the final at Wimbledon. The 20-year-old arguably bested Djokovic at his own game. The young prodigy trumped Djokovic in a five-set marathon with exceptional court coverage and shot variation. 

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Djokovic praised the Spaniard in his post-match conference and said he had the best of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. Eurosport tennis expert Justine Henin believes that Alcaraz is pushing Djokovic to new heights in the absence of Nadal and Federer.

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Hailing the rivalry between the two as the best in the sport, Henin said, “Novak is finding someone who is pushing his limits. We could see his disappointment at Wimbledon, but he wants to come back, beat him, and keep having fun, winning more majors. This rivalry is the best we can get these days.”

Echoing Mats Wilander’s sentiments on Djokovic enjoying the rivalry, Henin remarked, It looks like Novak enjoys it, and the pressure is less important. For sure, at this US Open, he will play every match at 200 percent, and he expects to go further. Everyone is expecting this.”

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Carlos Alcaraz eager to regain the no.1 ranking from Djokovic

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Carlos Alcaraz with the US Open trophy alongside Casper Ruud (credits: Getty Images)

Following his win at the US Open 2022 Alcaraz became the youngest man in history and the first teenager in the Open Era to top the singles rankings. Since then, the Spaniard has exchanged the No. 1 spot with Djokovic. After Djokovic’s win in the first round at the US Open, the World No. 1 spot will go to the Serb after the end of the US Open.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz is determined to regain the No. 1 spot he held going into the tournament. Talking to the press in the post-match press conference after his first round win, Alcaraz remarked, “Right now, it’s a goal for me. I said before that Novak and I are having a really good battle for #1. I knew he’d recover #1 after US Open. When the tournament is over, I’ll try to recover it ASAP. That’s my goal. I’m working for that. I’ll try to recover it before the year ends.”

The two-time Grand Slam champion had an unexpectedly early night inside Arthur Ashe Stadium Tuesday when opponent Dominik Koepfer retired with the Spaniard leading 6-2, 3-2 after 60 minutes. Alcaraz is scheduled to play South African Lloyd Harris in the second round.

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