Novak Djokovic admits watching Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s matches during time away from court, calls their rivalry ‘promising’

Djokovic makes the claim after witnessing the duo's clashes at the Sunshine Double.

Novak Djokovic admits watching Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s matches during time away from court, calls their rivalry ‘promising’

Novak Djokovic has been keeping track of the upcoming new generation of players, akin to the entirety of the tennis world. With Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in the front of the pack, Djokovic has remarkably claimed that their rivalry will be highly beneficial to the sport in the upcoming years.

Djokovic was not allowed to play in the Sunshine Double due to the US coronavirus policy. However, the Serb definitely kept his eyes peeled for the ongoing action between Alcaraz and Sinner at the dual Masters 1000 tournaments. Djokovic termed their rivalry as ‘good for the sport’ in an interview with Eurosport.

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The Spaniard and the Italian are often the talks of the town. And their encounters with each other are seldom unentertaining. Most recently, the duo faced off at the Miami Open, where Sinner gave Alcaraz a run for his money. Carlos’ defeat resulted in a one-place drop in his ranking, much to Djokovic, the current World No.1’s delight.

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Djokovic’s ban led to an extended break for the Serb after his historic Australian Open, equalling his Grand Slam record with Rafael Nadal. With so much time on his hands, Djokovic admitted to spending some of it watching the thrilling Alcaraz-Sinner action. First, Alcaraz won against the Italian in the Indian Wells semi-final. Immediately after, Sinner got back at the 19-year-old at the same stage in Miami.

“I think it’s a great rivalry that’s coming up between Alcaraz and Sinner – it’s good for our sport,” stated Djokovic. “I did follow some of the matches from Indian Wells and Miami…I saw some spectacular points, especially from Alcaraz, Sinner, Medvedev.” continued the Serb. Alcaraz has pulled out of the Monte Carlo Masters owing to injury concerns while Sinner has reached the third round of the event.

Also read: Novak Djokovic ‘thanks’ Ivan Gakhov for wearing his shoes during their Monte Carlo clash

Novak Djokovic spent his break strategizing for the clay season

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It is no secret that Djokovic is not as skilled on the tricky clay courts. In order to make a substantial comeback after his unprecedented absence, Djokovic underwent thorough preparations. Other than that, he also spent quality time with his family, taking time apart from tennis in addition also.

“I got to spend some time with the family and did other things off the court. But I was thinking about tennis, mostly about myself and how I can prepare myself the best possible in order to kick off the clay season in a good manner,” added Djokovic. Despite being confident in his abilities, Djokovic had a rough start to the clay season, his first set at the Monte Carlo Masters irrevocably going into a tie-break.

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