"The best four months of my life" - When Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal to win the Sunshine Double for the first time in his career
Novak Djokovic won his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2008 Australian Open. However, he made significant changes to his training regimen and started dominating the tour only in 2011, the year he won as many as ten titles, including three Majors.
The Serb also recorded his best-ever start to an ATP season as he won his first 41 matches before losing to Roger Federer in the semifinals of the French Open. He fell just one victory short of equaling John McEnroe's 42-0 win-streak in 1984.
The World No. 1 has won the Sunshine Double four times in his career so far, the first of which came in 2011. While he defeated Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the final at Indian Wells, he nearly repeated the scoreline in the final of the Miami Open against the Spaniard, beating him 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4).
Speaking about his dream start in a press conference after winning the 2011 Miami Open, Djokovic expressed his satisfaction, calling it the "best four months" of his life. He also praised Nadal, who was at the top of the rankings at the time. Interestingly, the Serb went on to defeat the Spaniard in all six finals they met in 2011.
"I know I had the best start of the season, no question about it. It's the best four months of my life," he said. "But it's only the start of the season. I think it's a bit early to talk about getting that top spot in the rankings. It's still quite a big difference. Rafa is definitely the best player in the world right now. If I want to have that shot, the No. 1 ranking, I need to play consistently well throughout the whole year. "
"Still, this streak is incredible that I have, and I want to keep on working hard and try to get more success. So right now, rest is something that I need most because it's been very successful but very exhausting and long four months of the year," he added.
Djokovic and Nadal motivated me to return from injury: Carlos Alcaraz
Coming to the present day, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the 2023 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells to reach the semifinals for the second straight year. The Spaniard recently made a comeback on the tour after struggling with injuries and won the Argentina Open in February.
In the ongoing tournament, he hasn't dropped a single set so far. After reaching the last four, the top seed revealed that he drew inspiration from Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to make a strong comeback after injury.
“I look to the big players, you know, Djokovic or Rafa, when they are coming from an injury and probably [they have] a great percentage to win the tournament after an injury. They motivate me to play the good game after an injury in the first tournaments," Alcaraz said.
Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will fight for a spot in the summit clash, following which the winner will take on either Daniil Medvedev or Frances Tiafoe in the final in Indian Wells.