"Next time I'm gonna face Novak Djokovic, I hope to be different" - When Carlos Alcaraz succumbed to nerves during first Slam encounter with Serb
Carlos Alcaraz vowed to evolve and become a better version of himself the next time he faced Novak Djokovic, following their first Grand Slam encounter at the 2023 French Open. The Spaniard admitted feeling nervous due to the pressure of competing against such a high-caliber opponent.
Alcaraz aimed to win his second Major at Roland-Garros that year, having clinched his first at the 2022 US Open. He began his journey strongly by defeating Flavio Cobolli, Taro Daniel, Denis Shapovalov, Lorenzo Musetti, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, setting up a semifinal clash with Djokovic.
Djokovic took the first set against Alcaraz, but the latter quickly leveled the score by winning the second. However, the youngster began experiencing cramping issues in the third set, receiving treatment twice. The situation made it easy for the 37-year-old to secure a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 victory and eventually win the tournament by defeating Casper Ruud in the final.
During a post-match press conference, Carlos Alcaraz admitted that having Djokovic on the other side of the net made him nervous. He also said he looked forward to proving himself the next time he faced the Serbian legend.
"Probably (smiling). Probably. Is not easy to play against Novak [Djokovic], you know. Of course, a legend of our sport. If someone says that he get into the court with no nerves playing against Novak, he lies," Alcaraz said.
"Of course, playing a semifinal of a Grand Slam, you have a lot of nerves, but even more with, you know, facing Novak. That's the truth. Yeah, next time that I'm gonna face Novak, I hope to be different, but the nerves will be there," he added.
The former World No. 1 then talked about how tough the loss was for him, expressing his disappointment with the cramping issues. However, he acknowledged that such things happen and stressed the need to deal with it and move forward.
"It's been really tough for me, honestly," the Spaniard said. "I disappointed myself honestly, you know, and in a match like this, coming to this match with great feeling, feeling great physically, and, yeah, cramping at the end of the second set, beginning of the third set, it was really disappointing. But, you know, these kind of things happen, and I have to deal with that."
Carlos Alcaraz redeemed himself by defeating Novak Djokovic to win Wimbledon 2023
Carlos Alcaraz backed up his words at Wimbledon 2023, defeating Novak Djokovic in the final to win the trophy. This came a month after his heartbreaking semifinal loss to the Serb at Roland-Garros.
On his way to claiming the title at SW19, Alcaraz defeated Jeremy Chardy, Alexandre Muller, Nicolas Jarry, Matteo Berrettini, Holger Rune, and Daniil Medvedev before dethroning the four-time defending champion.
This marked the Spaniard's second Grand Slam title, which he later added to at the 2024 French Open by defeating Germany's Alexander Zverev in the championship match.