Novak Djokovic has dismissed the idea that Carlos Alcaraz is similar to his long-time rival Rafael Nadal.
The Serb won the latest installation of their rivalry by downing Alcaraz in straight sets during the semi-finals, before discussing comparisons to Nadal.
“No, I don’t (see Nadal in Alcaraz),” Djokovic said. “They are different players. In terms of the great occasion and the feeling of the intensity on the court that he brings, yeah, there is some similarity.
“But he’s a completely different player from Rafa. He’s one of the most complete players that I ever faced in my career.
“It’s quite impressive for his age that he’s able to play consistently well for now several years already, and he’s the youngest-ever No. 1 in the world that we had.
“A brilliant career already, and I think it’s quite obvious that he’s going to have a brilliant career full of success in the years to come.
“He’s still very, very young. But, yeah, he does bring the best out of me. He makes me prepare for the match as best that I possibly can.
“That’s where I probably would compare it to the preparations that I had in the matches against Nadal or [Roger] Federer, where I had to come out every single time at the peak of my abilities in order to win against them.”
