"Carlos Alcaraz has got the best of all 3 worlds" - Novak Djokovic sees shades of himself, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in Wimbledon champion
Novak Djokovic recently stated that he sees shades of himself, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal in Wimbledon 2023 champion Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic's comments came after his loss against the young Spaniard in the grass-court Major's final on Sunday, July 16.
Alcaraz delivered a show-stopping performance to defeat seven-time champion Djokovic in a five-set epic to win his first Wimbledon title and second Grand Slam title overall.
The 20-year-old's exceptional performance prevented the Serb from equalling Margaret Court's record for the most Grand Slam singles titles (24) and Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles.
After his loss, Novak Djokovic talked about the 20-year-old prodigy Carlos Alcaraz in a press conference. He stated that the Spaniard possesses the best of all three worlds, as he sees shades of himself, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer in him.
"I think people have been talking in the past 12 months or so about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa, and myself. I would agree with that. I think he's got basically best of all three worlds," he said.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion added that Alcaraz has inherited the "Spanish bull" mentality from his compatriot Nadal and has sliding backhands similar to himself.
"He's got this mental resilience and really maturity for someone who is 20 years old. It's quite impressive. He's got this Spanish bull mentality of competitiveness and fighting spirit and incredible defense that we've seen with Rafa over the years," he said.
"And I think he's got some nice sliding backhands that he's got some similarities with my backhands. Yeah, two-handed backhands, defense, being able to adapt. I think that has been my personal strength for many years. He has it, too," Djokovic added.
"I haven't played a player like Carlos Alcaraz ever, to be honest" - Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic went on to say that he has never played a player like Carlos Alcaraz before and that the Spaniard is a complete player with a long and successful career ahead of him.
"I haven't played a player like him ever, to be honest. Roger and Rafa have their own obviously strengths and weaknesses. Carlos is very complete player. Amazing adapting capabilities that I think are a key for longevity and for successful career on all surfaces," he said.
With this victory, Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest player in the Open Era to win the men's singles titles at Wimbledon and the US Open. The Spaniard won the title at Flushing Meadows last year.
Interestingly, he is also the third-youngest player in the Open Era to win the grass-court Major, and the second player to defeat Novak Djokovic in a five-set Grand Slam final.