Novak Djokovic Practices With Carlos Alcaraz

There has been a lot of buzz around Carlos Alcaraz this season. Given how well the 19-year-old Spaniard is playing, there is no doubt that he is destined for great things. In the current season, the teenage sensation has already notched up four titles. Given the complete dominance of the Big Three- Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer- in the last two decades, Alcaraz’s success is making every tennis fan excited about his future.

Interestingly, ahead of the French Open 2022, the World No. 1 and the World No. 6 practiced together, in what could be called a collaboration of the generations.

Most of the top players have shared their two cents of what they feel about Alcaraz and his skill. The World no. 1 is no different. He said that Alcaraz’s bursting into the scene with such finesse was exciting for tennis.

It is customary for the top players to practice with each other in the days leading to a Grand Slam. In a lively exchange between the generations, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz practiced with each other, ahead of the French Open. While Alcaraz has been seen practicing with his compatriot Rafael Nadal, this was a relatively new sight for tennis fans! Alcaraz later jokingly spoke about how the practice was draining and acknowledged the level at which the World No, 1 plays.

Also read: ‘Rafa Says That He’s Improving Every Day’ – Carlos Alcaraz Relishing the Attention at French Open 2022

Carlos Alcaraz and his incredible season

He earned his first ATP 500 championship at the Rio Open, defeating Diego Schwartzman in the final, but he also defeated some of the best players in the world on his path to the win. With the win, he broke into the Top 20. His performance at the Indian Wells Masters was equally spectacular, as he advanced to the semifinals before losing to Rafael Nadal in a three-set fight.

Later, he also won the Miami Open and subsequently became the tournament’s youngest men’s winner, despite being seeded 14th. After that, he competed at the Barcelona Open, where he overcame top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals to make his debut appearance in the ATP Top Ten. Alcaraz also won this competition, defeating Pablo Carreno Busta, a fellow Spaniard, in straight sets.

In May, he celebrated his 19th birthday by defeating Rafael Nadal, the king of clay, in the Madrid Open quarterfinals. He then won his fourth championship of the season, and his second masters 1000 trophy, by defeating World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and World No. 3 Alexander Zverev in the finals.

Return of Novak Djokovic

The World No. 1 has had to deal with a lot of ups and downs this year, but now he looks like he is back with a vengeance. Unable to play at the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic then missed most of the hard-court season because of his vaccination status. He, however, seems to be back in top form now, decimating his opponents on that side of the court like he is used to doing.

Statistically, clay has been Djokovic’s least successful surface. But 2022 has seen a fair amount of success for the Serb! Djokovic advanced to the semi-finals of the Madrid Open in May, but was defeated by Alcaraz, who went on to win the tournament.

WATCH THIS STORY: Novak Djokovic’s epic finals against Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Andy Murray, Wilfried Tsonga at the Australian Open

He reached his eleventh career final at the Italian Open, defeating Casper Ruud to win his 1000th career win. With the win, he joined the rare club of becoming only the fifth man in the Open Era to achieve this feat. He next beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final for his sixth Italian Open and 38th Masters championship, another record.

We can’t tell if his practice session with the 19-year-old prodigy has been helping either of the players, but clearly the way both of them have been performing is definitely very impressive!