"Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are forming quite a rivalry and there's always drama because their personalities are so different" - Chris Evert
Tennis legend Chris Evert recently commented on the growing rivalry between World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic defeated Wimbledon champion Alcaraz last week to win the Western & Southern Open title in Cincinnati. He saved a championship point and claimed a 5-7, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4) victory in just under four hours.
The pair met twice earlier this year: in the semifinals of the French Open where the Serb prevailed, and in the finals of the Wimbledon Championships where the Spaniard took the trophy home.
On the rivalry between the two stars, Evert stated that whenever Djokovic and Alcaraz are on the court, there is always drama due to their opposing personalities.
"If you saw the match in Cincinnati against Djokovic and Alcaraz, you can see that they are forming quite a rivalry and there's always drama because their personalities are so different, their game styles are so different. They are like polar opposites, temperament wise," the 18-time Grand Slam champion told Front Office Sports Today.
The American added that while Carlos Alcaraz wants to beat Novak Djokovic, it won't be easy because the Serb is the greatest of all time and won't give it up easily.
"It's the younger generation trying to outs the older generation. But, you know, Novak's not going to let it go. He is the greatest of all time and he wants to be known as the greatest of all time," she added.
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic might encounter each other in US Open 2023 finals
Novak Djokovic is in the bottom half of the 2023 US Open draw and will face Frenchman Alexandre Muller in the first round. He is in the same quarter as seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who may face American Taylor Fritz in the fourth round.
Djokovic is expected to face Laslo Djere in the third round and Felix Auger-Aliassime, a 2021 semifinalist, in the fourth round. Casper Ruud, last year's finalist, is also in the bottom half and could potentially face fourth seed Holger Rune in the quarterfinals. If Djokovic makes it to the final four, he will face the winner of that contest.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion could then encounter Carlos Alcaraz in the final in a rematch of their Cincinnati and Wimbledon finals.
The Belgrade native is also on the verge of retaking the World No. 1 spot from the Spaniard. Djokovic only needs to win one match at Flushing Meadows to secure his position as the new No. 1 in the ATP Rankings, regardless of how Carlos Alcaraz performs.