‘It's not the right moment’ – Carlos Alcaraz dismisses talk of replacing Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer
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Updated 17/07/2023 at 16:40 GMT
Carlos Alcaraz wont compare himself to the 'big three' of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer after claiming his first Wimbledon title. His victory at the All England Club secured a second Grand Slam title for the 20-year-old, and says the debate comparing him to those three megastars cannot take place just yet. The Spaniard's focus will now be on defending his US Open title.
'In future we can talk about it' - Alcaraz plays down comparisons with Federer, Nadal, Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz refused to discuss a changing of the guard following his epic win over Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s Wimbledon final.
Alcaraz claimed his second Grand Slam title after victory in last year’s US Open, but is refusing to get carried away by the hype and dismissed any comparisons between himself and the ‘big three’ of men's tennis, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal.
He also revealed the lessons learned from a frustrating semi-final defeat to Djokovic at the French Open in June, as cramp ultimately proved to be his downfall.
He said in a CNN interview: “It’s nice when people say those things, but Djokovic is still around and Rafa [Nadal] is too.
“Maybe in the future we can talk about that in the years ahead, but right now, it’s not the right moment.”
He added: “I learned a lot that match (French Open semi-final), and Sunday was totally different due to my preparations.
“I was prepared mentally and had a totally different feeling before and during the match. I was able to deal with the pressure much better than at the French Open.
“Physically, I was already well prepared to play this kind of match, which felt like a marathon. I’m really proud to play at this level, which was five hours against a legend.”
That mental resilience from Alcaraz was clear to see after suffering a bruising first set, which Djokovic claimed 6-1.
The World No.1 weathered that early storm from the Serbian, before going onto claim the next two sets and turn the tide of the match his way.
“At the time, I thought ‘please don’t be this fast!’
“But at the same time, I knew that I was going to have my chances and it was all about staying in the game.
“I was believing in myself all the time and knew that I could improve.”
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Wilander says he will remember Alcaraz v Djokovic final ‘for the rest of his life’
There have been widespread plaudits for Alcaraz, and coach Juan Carlos Ferrero revealed how they incorporated Djokovic’s, Nadal’s and Federer’s respective styles of play into his own game.
“He takes things on board very quickly, and we've also seen a lot of videos of players that move very quickly here," Ferrero added.
"So, we copied a little of Murray, Roger and Novak, and he tries to copy a little bit the same. In the end, it wasn't easy, but we did it.”
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