Novak Djokovic finds Carlos Alcaraz’s transition on grass ‘similar’ to his as he hails the youngster for reaching the Wimbledon finals
The Serbian was all praise for his upcoming opponent.
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz (Credit: ESPN)
In a display of his formidable skill, Novak Djokovic, currently ranked as the world No. 2, dismantled Italian Jannik Sinner. Djokovic achieved a convincing 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory. Following that, the Centre Court witnessed Carlos Alcaraz, the youngest-ever world No.1, deliver an equally dominant performance. He completely overwhelmed Daniil Medvedev in three one-sided sets, 6-3,6-3,6-3.
This set up a formidable final between the top two ranked players in the world. Djokovic was asked about his thoughts on the Spaniard in the post-match press conference. He said that Alcaraz is an “amazing player” and that he “carries himself very well.”
He said that he is impressed by Alcaraz’s consistency, even on surfaces that are not his best. “He’s so young, but he’s incredibly consistent now, also on grass,” “Which I don’t think many people expected him to play so well because his game is basically, yeah, built and constructed and developed for clay mostly or slower hard courts.” Djokovic also praised Alcaraz’s ability to adapt to different surfaces and opponents.
“He’s been incredibly successful in adapting to the surfaces and demands and challenges of opponents on a given day,” Djokovic said. “I see this as one of my biggest strengths throughout my career, that I was able to constantly develop, adapt, and adjust my game depending on the challenges basically. That’s what he’s doing very early on in his career.”
Djokovic concluded by saying that he is a big fan of Alcaraz and that he believes he has the potential to be one of the greats.
Related: Carlos Alcaraz prepared to battle Novak Djokovic to any length to win his first Wimbledon title
Novak Djokovic penalized for hindrance during the semi-finals
During his Wimbledon semi-final against Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic was caught off guard when he received a hindrance penalty from umpire Richard Haigh. The penalty was issued due to an extended grunt made by Djokovic during the match. Despite the decision, Djokovic remained undeterred and continued to perform well. He ultimately won the match in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4).
However, the Serbian player reacted with frustration, questioning the umpire by asking, “What are you doing?”. This incident has sparked discussions among fellow players and commentators, leading to debates surrounding the ruling and its impact on the game.
During the post-match press conference, Djokovic said that he had never been penalized for an extended grunt before. He said that he saw the replay, and his grunt had finished before Sinner hit the shot. However, he said that he had to accept the umpire’s decision. But, he was focused on winning the match an he was not going to let the call distract him. In the end, the match turned out to be an easy affair for him.
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Ritvik Malhotra
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