Novak Djokovic 'the best in the world' admits rival Carlos Alcaraz

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz - Wimbledon 2023

November 17, 2023

ATP Tennis Players, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Tennis News

Novak Djokovic ‘the best in the world’ admits rival Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz says he is ‘dreaming’ of winning the ATP Finals, although he knows he has to go through the best player in the world to do it.

Alcaraz has been in a battle with Novak Djokovic all year for the world number one spot, but it is the Serbian who has ultimately come out on top.

He has already secured the year-end position, and rightly so after a stunning season which has seen him reach the final of all four Grand Slams and winning three of them.

Alcaraz will get a chance to get in one last punch against Djokovic this year though. He beat Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-4 in Turin to set-up a semi-final clash with the world number one – and it is a match he is already relishing.

“Well, it’s just two matches [left to win], but at the same time it’s too far away,” Alcaraz said. “I have Novak in the semi-final. If I win that match, I have a really tough final.

“I’m dreaming about winning this tournament. Why not? But I have to play my best first in the semi-final.

“Novak is Novak, he is the best player in the world right now, he’s just lost six matches this year so that means he is unbelievable. I’m going to bring my best tennis.”

It will be the fifth meeting between Alcaraz and Djokovic, with them both having recorded two wins.

Alcaraz beat Djokovic in the 2022 final of the Madrid Masters last year and this season’s Wimbledon final. Djokovic, meanwhile, came out on top in this year’s Roland Garros semi-final and the Cincinnati Masters final.

Novak Djokovic leads blockbuster ATP Finals semi-final line-up

The ATP Finals is always billed as a real blockbuster as only the top eight players in the world are taking part, although it is very unusual for the top four ranked players to make up the semi-finals.

That is what has happened this year, though. The Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz semi will see the top two in the world go head-to-head, while the other sees world number three Daniil Medvedev against world number four Jannik Sinner.

While Sinner is the lowest ranked of the four, he is the only one coming into the semi-finals with a perfect record from the round robin stage and he will have the Turin crowd firmly in his corner.

Medvedev, though, is backing himself to come through it.

“First of all, at this moment he’s (Sinner) in top form… He can do everything,” Medvedev said.

“Here he played unbelievable, but he still lost two sets. That’s what I’m going to try to aim for: try to play like guys who won the set from him.

“I need to definitely be at my absolute best and better than today, tomorrow.”

The semi-finals take place on Saturday with the final 24 hours later.

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