"I would actually pick Carlos Alcaraz over Novak Djokovic" - Tennis journalist's bold claim on who would win if Australian Open were to be held now
Novak Djokovic has been away from the action since Wimbledon, but it seems no tennis discussion can be undertaken without bringing the former World No. 1 into focus.
Journalist Ben Rothenberg painted a gloomy picture with regard to Djokovic's prospects in the near future considering that the Serb has had little match practice. He reckoned that the 35-year-old would be short on confidence going into big tournaments.
Youngest Miami & Madrid men’s champion
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When asked a hypothetical question of who among Acaraz and Djokovic would have a better shot at winning the Australian Open if it was held in the next few weeks, Rothenberg chose the young Spaniard.
"If that would be the case, at this point, I would actually pick Alcaraz over Djokovic, I think, because I just don't think Djokovic has the match prep," Rothenberg stated during the Match Point podcast on Tennis Majors.
The tennis journalist proceeded to justify his stance by pointing out that Djokovic struggled on clay earlier in the season after having missed out on playing at Indian Wells and Miami.
"I saw how slow he was to come back in the clay season this year when he didn't play Indian wells and Miami," Rothenberg said. "He had a very slow start with the clay and so we'll see. I think he's gonna play some European tournaments this fall. I'd imagine he will get some matches. But in this imaginary scenario, where it's like the next big tournament, I don't think he has that time to get the confidence back."
Novak Djokovic did indeed struggle at the start of the clay season, making an early exit at the Monte-Carlo Masters before losing the final of the Serbia Open to Andrey Rublev. He then went down to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals of the Madrid Open before registering his first title win of the season at the Italian Open in Rome.
"I don't know if he will still have the same feeling when he goes back" - Ben Rothenberg on Novak Djokovic's potential return to Australian Open
Novak Djokovic, who missed the Australian Open and the US Open on account of not being vaccinated against COVID-19, continues to confront an uncertain future with regard to his participation at the 2023 Australian Open.
While US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster stated that she was looking forward to welcoming Djokovic to the 2023 US Open, no such statement has yet been released by the organizers of the Melbourne Major.
On the same Match Point podcast, Rothenberg questioned whether Djokovic would have the "same feeling" when he does return to Melbourne, considering what happened the last time around.
"Also currently he's not legally allowed into Australia, sure that we will see, whether he even gets there first. Doesn't really matter, Its a hypothetical question," Rothenberg said. "I don't know if he will still have the same feeling when he goes back after everything that happened this year, could be a different sort of mental vibe for him in Melbourne, in the future."