Pam Shriver praises Carlos Alcaraz for not hiding ‘thinking’ of Novak Djokovic every time he trains as she discusses their rivalry

Carlos Alcaraz recently lost to Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 2-6, 2-4 in the Round-of-16 of the 2023 Shanghai Masters.

Pam Shriver praises Carlos Alcaraz for not hiding ‘thinking’ of Novak Djokovic every time he trains as she discusses their rivalry

Novak Djokovic (L), Carlos Alcaraz (R) (Sources: ZAWYA/ India Today)

Retired tennis player Pam Shriver recently discussed the current rivalry between youngster Carlos Alcaraz and the very experienced Novak Djokovic. The former World No. 3 said that she loved the fact that Alcaraz is ‘obsessed’ with his rival and cannot stop thinking about him or talking about their rivalry in interviews and he is also transparent about it. 

“A rivalry is born with these big, memorable matches in the best tournaments. And I like the fact that Alcaraz says up front: ‘I think about him (Novak Djokovic) every day. But I don’t know if he’s thinking of number 24 (the number of Grand Slam titles won by Djokovic), because that would be a bit intimidating,” Shriver said. (H/T: Tennis Channel’s Inside‐In podcast)

YouTube video

In every interview Carlos Alcaraz gives, he makes sure to mention Carlos Alcaraz at least once. The rivalry between the two great players has only increased tenfold since the 2023 Wimbledon Open when Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic in a thrilling final. Following that, the two players had a great battle in the Cincinnati Open 2023 final, where Djokovic got the better of the Spaniard. It was hands-down, one of the best matches tennis fans had seen in a long time. 

FS Video

Recently, Alcaraz mentioned after the China Open that his sole purpose and goal right now was to replace the Serb as the No. 1 ranked player in the world. The Serb became the World No. 1 once again after winning the 2023 US Open and Alcaraz wants to win his throne back. 

Read More: WATCH: Roger Federer declines challenge to match Rafael Nadal’s biceps as the Swiss talks of his gym routine

Carlos Alcaraz’s current form is concerning 

Alcaraz has seen a major drop in his form ever since the 2023 US Open. He lost to Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals of the Grand Slam, which was kind of unexpected. What followed was a bunch of back-to-back questionable displays by the youngster in the next few tournaments. 

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Source: Daily Express)

The Spaniard lost to Jannik Sinner, who eventually won the tournament, in the semifinals of the China Open. Then, he lost to Grigor Dimitrov in the round-of-16 of the 2023 Shanghai Masters. The points gap between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz is now growing more and more. The Serb is about 2000 points ahead of the Spaniard in rankings currently. Alcaraz needs a great ending to the season if he wants to realize his dream of becoming the World No. 1 once again. 

In case you missed it: