"Lot of things special about him, his journey, particularly last 6 months has been amazing" - Novak Djokovic on Carlos Alcaraz ahead of Madrid Open SF clash
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will face Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals of the Madrid Open on Saturday.
The Serb got past Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals, while Alcaraz defeated his idol Rafael Nadal 6-2, 1-6, 3-6.
In a press conference after his win, Djokovic spoke highly of the 19-year-old with whom he had practiced earlier in the tournament.
"Well, there is a lot of things that are special about him. I mean, he has broken a lot of records as the youngest player, top 10, obviously in the recent decades, because we had some amazing champions like Michael Chang when he was 16, you know, won a slam and so forth," the World No. 1 said.
"But, you know, nowadays we are not used to seeing somebody who is teenager and already getting to top 10 and playing on such a high level. His growth, his improvement, and his journey particularly the last six months has been amazing."
Djokovic also hailed the Spaniard as a "great" individual on and off the court.
"He's very nice guy off the court. I got a little bit of chance to practice with him and to spend a bit of time off the court with him around here in Madrid and last week, and I must say that in all fronts, on and off the court, he's (indicating two thumbs up) great," he said.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion also stated that players like Alcaraz are fantastic for the sport of tennis.
"I love to watch him play, as a lot of other players on the tour. I praise his game without a doubt. He's fantastic for our sport, no doubt. I think it's great that we have a young player who is doing so well and giving a new fresh breath to the tennis world," he said.
"I am on the right track in terms of getting to the desired level of tennis" - Novak Djokovic
Djokovic defeated Gael Monfils in his opening match in Madrid before getting a walkover following the withdrawal of Andy Murray. He then cruised past Hubert Hurkacz.
The Serb indicated that he was happy with the positives post two fluent wins over Monfils and Hurkacz.
"Well, it's definitely a positive indication that I am on the right track in terms of getting to the desired level of tennis, being in one of the best tournaments in the world where all the best players are playing," he said.
"Of course it does give me confidence, and it encourages me to keep going, you know. I think in terms of performance today, it was very solid. Two breaks each set. One break was sufficient to win against Hubert, who is top-10 player and of course always a tricky player to play against. Big serve."
The World No. 1 stressed that he did well to counter his opponent's big serve in difficult conditions.
"Conditions today, hotter, ball bounces high. Of course when you're playing a big guy with a big serve, it's never easy to return. But I think particularly in the second set I was serving well, putting myself in a good position to break his serve. When the opportunities were presented, I used them," the Serb said.
"I have a lot of positives to take from the last couple of days. Of course on to the next round, and I'm ready for another good performance."