‘I’m not at his level’ - Carlos Alcaraz admits ‘unbelievable’ Novak Djokovic is superior indoors after ATP Finals defeat
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Published 19/11/2023 at 10:48 GMT
An honest Carlos Alcaraz has admitted that his rival for the top rank and current world No. 1 Novak Djokovic is far superior on indoor courts. His comments came after the Serbian beat Alcaraz 6-3 6-2 in the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals to set up a showdown with home favourite Jannik Sinner. “I feel like I am not in his level in indoor court obviously,” Alcaraz said after the defeat.
Alcaraz v Djokovic - ATP Finals highlights
Carlos Alcaraz does not believe he can match Novak Djokovic on indoor courts and admitted that the Serbian is on another level.
Djokovic claimed redemption with victory over Alcaraz in the Nitto ATP Finals last four after the Spaniard beat him in July’s Wimbledon final.
The Serbian was in relentless form to seal a 6-3 6-2 win and book his place in Sunday’s final where he will play home favourite Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz gave an honest review of his performance after the match against Djokovic and said that he is “not at his level” when facing each other indoors.
“He plays the same level during the whole match,” Alcaraz explained. “The shot quality he has is unbelievable. He plays really, really deep. It's really difficult to take advantage from that. Once again, he has shown why he's the best player in the world.
“I feel like I am not in his level in indoor court obviously. I've played great matches in Wimbledon, in Cincinnati, in Roland Garros. I felt in that match that I'm in the level. Obviously, he has more experience than me playing in these tournaments, in these courts.”
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'Best match of the tournament for me' - Djokovic on beating Alcaraz
Djokovic said afterwards that his victory over Alcaraz was “one of his best matches of the year” and proved too difficult for the 20-year-old to handle.
The world No. 1 showed his intent from the off and played two brave second serves to get out of trouble when Alcaraz had two break points in the opening game, which he couldn’t convert.
Alcaraz, who believes his lack of indoor experience was a factor in his defeat, was hit-and-miss with his serve while Djokovic was devastating on the return.
“It's not about just serving against him. He has a great return game,” Alcaraz admitted. “Unbelievable, I'm going to say. As I said, he pushes you to a limit in every ball, every shot.
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'I am not at his level indoors' - Alcaraz after defeat to Djokovic ATP Finals
“Probably, I played great points, but it was like one great point, then three, four points just mistakes. The first ball went out, something like that. Against a player like Novak, you cannot do that.”
The two-time Grand Slam winner was determined to end the year as the top-ranked player in the world but missed out as Djokovic clinched a record-extending 40th Masters title in Paris in November.
Alcaraz, who missed the Australian Open in 2023 due to injury, believes that his disappointing end to the season has been good preparation for January’s opening Grand Slam.
“This match help me a lot coming into the pre-season,” he said optimistically. “Right now I know all the things I have to improve if I want to be there, if I want to beat the best player in the world.
“With Juan Carlos [Ferrero], we have to talk about the pre-season, what we have to practise, what we have to do. Obviously, I'll rewatch the match to see my weakness, just to improve it and be a better player.
“I will forget all the matches that I played against him, the Wimbledon final, the Cincinnati, Roland Garros, and I'm going to focus on this match because I felt like I have to improve a lot of things if I want to stay at his level.”
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