Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz share a good relationship off the court. However, the Serbian thinks Alcaraz is too young to discuss making history.
Despite the vast age difference between 37-year-old Djokovic and 21-year-old Alcaraz, the pair have developed an outstanding rivalry, containing some of the most gripping matches seen in recent years.
Their 2023 Wimbledon final is widely considered one of the greatest in the tournament’s history. After five enthralling sets that lasted four hours and 42 minutes, Alcaraz won a maiden title at SW19.
Less than two months later, the duo contested what some consider to be the best match in Masters 1000 history in the Cincinnati Open final. Djokovic prevailed in a deciding-set tiebreak.
Alcaraz thrashed Djokovic in last year’s Wimbledon final before the 24-time major champion responded by beating his younger rival in the gold medal match at the Olympics 7-6, 7-6 after an outstanding serving performance.
Djokovic defeated Alcaraz 7-5 in a practice setbefore the ongoing Australian Open. The tennis legend’s new coach, Andy Murray, observed the action and regularly communicated with the ten-time champion in Melbourne throughout the practice.
Despite being rivals on the court, Djokovic has spoken warmly about Alcaraz on several occasions and admits he enjoys a better relationship with the new generation of players than he used to with his great rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
However, Djokovic disagrees with Alcaraz on one issue. The Spaniard has been open about wanting to make history during his career. In an interview with GQ, Djokovic argued that it is too early to make such statements.
“He’s even said himself, he wants to make history. He wants to be ‘the best in history.’ I respect that kind of mentality of ‘Hey, I think I got the goods.’ But maybe it’s a little bit early for him to think about history.”
The statistically most successful player in tennis history was also asked how many Grand Slams he thinks Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will win. Djokovic answered that it was too early to say but accepted that his records could be broken.
“It’s too early. But, you know, people say my records will never be broken. I doubt that. I mean, Carlos could be already the next guy. Even Jannik. If they take care of the body, if they do things in a proper way, focus on longevity, focus on the long-term, then they can do it.”
“Carlos has done something no one has done in history for such a young age. So the odds are with him. He is going to complete his [career] Slam very soon.”
Although Djokovic and Alcaraz’s relationship is strong, the Serbian remains among the most honest ATP players. Alcaraz hearing his words about it being too early to talk about creating history might be beneficial and encourage him to stay grounded.
Djokovic’s opinion on that issue was one of several interesting parts of his GQ interview. The Olympic gold medalist also stunningly accused the immigration hotel he was at during his detention in Australia in 2022 of giving him poisoned food.