“They are very complete for 19-y old players”- Novak Djokovic draws a parallel between Holger Rune and Carlos Alcaraz after the 2022 Paris Masters defeat
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Holger Rune, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic
The former World No 1 Novak Djokovic was handed a shocking defeat in the finals of the 2022 Paris Masters by the young prodigy Holger Rune in three sets. It was an epic battle that lasted two hours and 32 minutes where the Serbian player couldn’t capitalize on his chances despite winning the first set. He went on to appreciate Rune as well as the World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz and talked about their playing styles.
The 21-time Australian Open champion was beaten by the eventual winner Alcaraz in the semifinals of the Madrid Open. The result was quite similar in aspect to the fact that Djokovic had won the first set but eventually lost the match against the young Spaniard. He had made a late start to the year and was looking to gain momentum after missing out on defending his title in Australia.
During the post-match interview, he couldn’t help but draw a comparison between the two 19-year-olds who have left managed to etch their names among the elites and are considered the next-gen stars of the sport. He admitted to being impressed with Alcaraz and Rune while making a note of the fact that they both are ready and complete as players. He even went on to state the similarities in their physicalities while one having a better backhand and the other one having a better forehand.
He went on to say that “Alcaraz and Rune are same in terms of physicality, they defend extremely well, Rune has a better backhand and Alcaraz has a better forehand. It’s not a huge difference. They are very complete for 19-y old players. Energy on the court. Impressive…“
Novak Djokovic had vowed to put up a great fight at the finals of the Paris Masters
Ahead of the Paris Masters final, the 2022 Wimbledon champion had expressed his love towards Holger Rune. He had vouched for putting up a tough fight despite the fact that they are friends off the court and competitors on the court. They have trained even together quite a couple of times and claimed him a tough competitor and deserved all the success.
Djokovic was looking for his third consecutive ATP title after winning at the Tel Aviv Open and at the Astana Open. It also ended his 13-match winning streak and denied his hands to grab his 91st ATP singles title. He had a tough year due to his unvaccinated status and faced some shocking setbacks in his life. He will next play at the Year-end championship with the intent of finishing the year on a high and improving his ranking before the end of the year.
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Prateek Pradhan
(601 Articles Published)