“Going to try to do well to be as close as possible to Novak Djokovic” – Carlos Alcaraz outlines his goals after China Open 2023 exit

Carlos Alcaraz has stated his goal on the ATP Tour is to be as close as possible to Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz and Djokovic have a budding yet interesting rivalry on the tour, with the two facing each other four times so far. Intriguingly, whoever won in their meetings has gone on to claim the titles across various tournaments.

The pair first faced each other in the Madrid Open in 2022, where the Spaniard won 6(5)-7, 7-5, 7-6(5) en route to clinching the title. This year, the two have locked horns thrice, with Alcaraz defeating the Serbian in the Wimbledon Championships final to clinch his second Grand Slam title.

Djokovic, on the other hand, beat the youngster in the French Open semifinals and the Cincinnati Open final.

The duo have also been at the top of the ATP rankings, with the World No. 1 ranking being exchanged between them for more than a year now.

In a recent interview, Alcaraz stated that his main objective right now is to be able to match Djokovic, who is currently the top-ranked player on the men’s tour.

“We are going to try to do well to be as close as possible to Djokovic, to our goal,” he said (via estadiodeportivo).

The 20-year-old was recently in action at the 2023 China Open, where his campaign ended at the hands of Jannik Sinner. He lost 7-6(4), 6-1 to the Italian in the semifinals on Tuesday, October 3.

Alcaraz stated that he did not take the opportunities that fell his way against Sinner, resulting in his defeat.

“I think I played good tennis in the first set, trying to take advantage of my opportunities. But today it didn’t work out. I had opportunities to get the second break in the first set. I didn’t take advantage of it. Also other breaking points later. I didn’t take advantage of them,” the Spaniard explained.

Carlos Alcaraz turns attention to Shanghai Masters

Shanghai Masters. It will get underway at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena On Wednesday, October 4.

After his success at the Wimbledon Championships, Alcaraz had a good North American hardcourt swing with an 11-3 win-loss record across three events – Canadian Open, Cincinnati Open, and US Open – without a title to show for his efforts.

The World No. 2’s last title on the hardcourt came at Indian Wells earlier this year. Alcaraz has a chance to end that drought when he takes to the courts in Shanghai, where he will begin his campaign with a clash against either Nuno Borges or Gregoire Barrere.

Edited by Samya Majumdar

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