“Carlos Alcaraz was World No. 1 for most of this year but all the players still think Novak Djokovic is No. 1” – Greg Rusedski
Former British-Canadian tennis player Greg Rusedski recently claimed players on the ATP circuit considered Novak Djokovic the best player even when Carlos Alcaraz was the World No. 1.
Alcaraz and Djokovic have frequently exchanged the top spot in the ATP rankings this year. While the Spaniard reigned for 20 weeks, the Serb has moved closer now with his 18th week as the World No. 1 in 2023.
During a recent episode of the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast, Rusedski discussed Alcaraz's US Open campaign. He opined that even though the Spaniard failed to defend his title, his performance wasn't below par.
“It was the first time in his career that he [Carlos Alcaraz] had to defend a Major. It’s not a bad effort making the semis. I mean most people if they get to the semis of a Major, that’s career-defining," the former World No. 4 said.
"You talked about Shelton right now making the semis, beating Tiafoe in the quarters – ‘What a great result’. World No. 1 loses in the semis — ‘What’s going on,'" he added.
Rusedski, however, claimed that many other players on the tour did not consider Carlos Alcaraz the best player given that Novak Djokovic wasn't allowed to participate in several important tournaments, especially in the USA, owing to visa restrictions.
"Let’s be honest, he was World No. 1 for most of this year but all the players still think Novak is No. 1 because he wasn’t allowed to play the Indian Wells, Miami, all the Majors he missed as well because of his stance that he had with Covid as well, not getting vaccinated," Rusedski said.
"So you gotta look at all those things that were around the whole situation for Novak. I think Novak felt he was No. 1 even though the ranking didn’t say so," he added.
Novak Djokovic-Carlos Alcaraz head-to-head count is tied at 2-2
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have faced each other on four occasions, with their head-to-head count tied at 2-2. Interestingly, three out of those four encounters have been played this year.
Alcaraz was victorious in his first attempt against the Serb last year. He defeated the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the semifinal en route to winning the Madrid Open.
The 20-year-old scored his second triumph over Djokovic at Wimbledon in July. He staged a dramatic comeback at SW19 to deny his opponent an eighth Major title on grass with a 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 win.
The Serb, meanwhile, outperformed Alcaraz in a final-four battle at the French Open as well as in the Cincinnati Masters summit clash.