The wait is still on for the former world number one! Novak Djokovic is still trophyless this season and was also deprived of clinching his 25th Grand Slam title by Carlos Alcaraz. As a result, Roger Federer can also breathe a sigh of relief. Novak will now have to come back again next year to match the Swiss Maestro’s incredible 8 title triumphs record at SW19. The Spaniard literally thrashed the Serb in the finals of Wimbledon and now his performance has been put under the spotlight by tennis bigwigs. What does Andy Roddick have to say about this?

Making a comeback from knee surgery is never an easy task. Roddick has time and again reflected on his amazement at Novak Djokovic’s quick recovery. He feels Novak is “not like us, he is different.” What he does is completely amazing! However, in the match against Alcaraz, he felt, Djokovic just never got going and there were higher chances of getting defeated by bigger margins. Roddick felt the Serb’s gameplan wasn’t on the mark this time. He thinks Novak got exposed a bit too quickly in that match, “My gut based on his strategy coming forward going line early was that he didn’t have confidence making those quick adjustments.”

The 41-year-old American tennis legend further added, “Carlos exposed him went big when he had to hit those drop shots when he had to take second serves early, you know.” He feels Alcaraz didn’t allow Novak to settle in this match. However, he yet again heaped praise on Djokovic for showcasing incredible will to take part in this tournament. “It’s absurd that Novak was able to make the final of this event. Surgery, no fitness, not a lot of tennis, no matches, finals, or Wimbledon gave yourself a look at the basket so props to him as well,” said Andy.

During the match, as we saw Djokovic was caught up in exchanging baseline rallies after rallies, and that eventually put a bit of stress on his knee as well. Perhaps, couldn’t conserve his energy the way he’d have wanted. Alcaraz’s strategy was absolutely on point! Hence, Djokovic too had something to say about his opponent shortly after his disappointing loss in the finals.

“He really outplayed me” – Djokovic heaps praise on Alcaraz

It’s leveled, and it’s 3-3 in the H2H now! Well-poised to have more such matches between these two rivals. However, as we all know, iron sharpens iron, and rivalry sharpens rivalry. How can Djokovic walk out simply without complimenting his opponent’s valiant efforts? Shortly after the match, Djokovic admitted, “Overall, I was inferior on the court. He was the better player.”

Alcaraz won 84% of his first serve and 61% of his second serve in that match. Reflecting on his opponent’s brilliance in the high-pressure situation, the Serb added, “He played every single shot better than I did…I’ve never seen him serve that way, to be honest. Yes, overall he really outplayed me.”

Djokovic hat-tipped the 21-year-old Spaniard after clinching his fourth Grand Slam title. And this will indeed be a big boost for Alcaraz for the rest of the season. Currently, he’s sitting at the third spot with just 330 points behind the number 2, Djokovic. Can Alcaraz overtake the Serb in the next few months?