"They are very complete players for 19-year-olds"- Novak Djokovic on the emergence of teen stars Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune
Novak Djokovic heaped praise on World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune, calling both teenagers "complete players" for their age.
The Serb lost 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to Rune in the Paris Masters final, handing the young Dane his maiden Masters 1000 tournament and allowing him to reach the Top-10 of the ATP rankings next week for the first time in his career.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Novak Djokovic was asked to talk about the difference between Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune, both of whom are aged 19. The Serb responded by saying that they were similar from a physical standpoint and hailed their defensive skills.
"Well, they are similar in terms of physicality. I think they are both really fit. They train very hard. They are very dedicated guys. They defend, both of them, extremely well," Djokovic said.
The 35-year-old added that Rune had the better backhand while Alcaraz had the better forehand. The Serb also marveled at their energy, adding how even at such a young age they appeared to have all possible weapons at their disposal.
'Rune has better backhand. Alcaraz has better forehand. But they are both improving on those shots that maybe are not as good as maybe other shot. But they, you know, when I say, you know, is "not as good," meaning it's not huge difference. I mean, they have great shots. I mean, great forehand from Rune or great backhand from Alcaraz," Novak Djokovic said.
"They are very complete players for 19-year-olds. It's quite impressive. Also their energy on the court, just wanting, motivating themselves and wanting to do well and staying mentally present, it's impressive," he added.
"Just a very competitive spirit, very confident, going for the shots"- Novak Djokovic on Holger Rune
Speaking about Holger Rune's style of play, Novak Djokovic said that the teenager had a lot of elements that reminded him of himself. The 21-time Grand Slam champion looked forward to seeing what the Dane is capable of in the future, pointing to how he has already added more levels to his game since the duo met at the US Open last year.
"I think he does have a lot of elements that remind me of myself when I was his age. Just a very competitive spirit, very confident, going for the shots. Backhand, very solid backhand, great backhand. Dropshots, good return, mixing things up, coming to the net," Djokovic said.
"So, I mean, he has improved a lot. We played last year in US Open. Since then his level is higher. Two, three levels higher, for sure. So I'm sure that he's going to keep going. He's got, you know, big objectives and goals. Understandably so, because he's really a player that has potential to reach great heights," he added.