The rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz is “great for tennis”, according to Alex Corretja, as the two men will be able to push each other to new heights, as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer did. The duo currently top the ATP World Rankings, with Djokovic overtaking the Spaniard following his victory at the Australian Open last month.
Djokovic could hardly have hoped for a better start to 2023, winning the Adelaide Open before winning the Australian Open three weeks later. He reclaimed the top spot in the world rankings thanks to his success in Melbourne and this week broke the record for duration at the top, overtaking the great Steffi Graf after spending 378 weeks as world number one in his career.
However, things haven’t always been easy for Djokovic over the past year, with his vaccination status preventing him from playing tournaments in the United States. Alcaraz was one of the big beneficiaries, ending 2022 as world number 1 after winning the US Open.
The duo are now set to fight for titles and ranking points in 2023, which Corretja says will be great for the sport. The Spaniard believes Alcaraz and Djokovic can push each other to new levels, like the Serbian did with Nadal and Federer for much of his career.
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“I think it’s good, once you’re at the top of the standings, to have someone pushing you,” Corretja told Eurosport. “It makes you improve all the time and it makes you learn. I think for Novak maybe that wasn’t the most important thing for him last year when he couldn’t make a lot of tournaments and the big ones, like Wimbledon, didn’t have not earned points.
“But as soon as he finds the rhythm of the tour, he gains points and he sees that he is growing. He sees that young people push him too.
“I think for him that’s extra motivation because you have to know how to keep finding ways to improve your game.
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“It’s great for tennis, and it’s great for them because at the end of the day the reason Rafa, Roger and Novak were so good is because they were in the same era and they had to improve.
“Otherwise it wasn’t enough of what you did last year, you have to add a few things in order to keep winning tournaments and big titles, which in the end is what really matters. more for these players. »
Both Djokovic and Alcaraz will be in action this week, with the Serb taking part in the Dubai Tennis Championships while the teenager will line up at the Mexican Open.
