‘He’s definitely one of the main favorites,’ Novak Djokovic pins Carlos Alcaraz as a major contender to win the French Open

‘He’s definitely one of the main favorites,’ Novak Djokovic pins Carlos Alcaraz as a major contender to win the French Open

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic

The tennis world has a new kid on tour and he has taken everything by storm. The level at which Carlos Alcaraz is playing is something that wasn’t seen on the ATP tour at this age for a long time. The young Spaniard, who turned 19 just a few days ago has already proved a mark in his short career and is currently amongst the very best on tour.

He has already won 4 big titles in the season which included his maiden ATP 500 and maiden Masters titles. He has won the Rio Open, Miami Masters, Barcelona Open, and Madrid Masters and has also achieved a career-high of No.6 in the ATP Rankings. He also defeated Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev consecutively en route to his title triumph at Madrid.

Ahead of the Rome Masters, World No.1 Novak Djokovic spoke about how it’s great to have someone as young as Alcaraz playing bold enough to challenge the best players in the world and at the same time be humble and nice off the court.

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“I think it’s great to have somebody that young who is bold enough to challenge the best players in the world and win big trophies, but at the same time be humble and nice off the court. He brings a lot of energy to the court, which is nice to see,” Djokovic said.

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‘He’s the talk of the sport’: Novak Djokovic on Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz decided to skip the Rome Masters in order to give him enough recovery time before the French Open. Djokovic admitted that it was a good decision from Alcaraz to skip the Italian Open and also said that the 19-year-old is definitely one of the main favorites to win Roland Garros.

“I think it was a good decision on his part (not to play in Rome). Roland Garros, he’s definitely one of the main favorites, no doubt. He’s the talk of the sport,” he said.

On the court, Djokovic will face Russian Aslan Karatsev in the second round of the Italian Open on Tuesday.

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Also read: Watch: 12-year-old Carlos Alcaraz reveals his idol’s name! And it’s not Rafael Nadal