“Difficult to see Djokovic take away my number one,” Carlos Alcaraz rues missed opportunity at the 2023 Australian Open
Carlos Alcaraz lost his world number one ranking to 10-time Australian Open champion, Novak Djokovic.
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Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz has had an unfortunate start to the season, which saw him miss the 2023 Australian Open owing to an injury. On top of that, the Spaniard also lost his world number one ranking to Novak Djokovic, who went on to claim a record 10th Australian Open. Carlos Alcaraz has been struggling with injuries since the end of last year, where he was also forced to miss the Nitto ATP Finals.
The 2022 US Open champion admits that it was tough watching Novak Djokovic claim his world number one ranking last month. Moreover, he lost out on some crucial ranking points at the first of the four Major events in the calendar year. Carlos Alcaraz heaped praise on Novak Djokovic, stating that he played at a very high level in Melbourne, and thoroughly deserved the title.
The truth is that losing the Australian Open, where I could have scored valuable points, was difficult. Difficult to see him on TV and difficult to see Djokovic take away my number one. But I knew it would be difficult to keep him throughout his career… Certainly now the goal is to win him back. But to do that, first of all I have to get back on the pitch to compete and that’s why I’m here,” said Alcaraz.
“The Melbourne final? Djokovic certainly played at a very high level and beating him would have been very complicated. I haven’t seen too many games though due to the time difference. Was I rooting for Tsitsipas? No, because he too would have taken my number one away if I won… But I’m still a fan of good tennis,” he added.
“I want to continue winning other Grand Slam titles” : Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz draws inspiration from two of the finest players the game has ever seen in the form of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The duo have won 22 Grand Slam titles each, and are still going strong despite being in their mid 30s. The Spaniard wants to emulate their success, and keep adding more Major titles to his tally in the coming years.
“I want to continue winning other Grand Slam titles, and to do that I have to be able to do like Djokovic and Rafa, who continue to win these tournaments and to express their highest level year after year . And that’s what I want to do too: stay at my top level for a long time,” said Alcaraz.
Carlos Alcaraz will play his first professional match of the season at the Argentina Open this week. The top seed will face Laslo Djere in the second round in Buenos Aires, after he received a bye in the opening round. Speaking ahead of his second round matchup, Carlos Alcaraz remains confident of putting up a good show.
“I’ve been in Argentina for a while to train with very good players and get into the rhythm that allows me to start the tournament in the best possible way. I know it’s not easy,” said Alcaraz.
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Nirmit Mehta
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