Novak Djokovic recently shared his opinions on Carlos Alcaraz’s bid for greatness. The Serb believes that, while the young Spaniard has shown a lot of promise at 21, he should slow down before making grandiose commitments to himself.
Alcaraz had a standout season on the ATP Tour last year, winning four titles, including two at the French Open and Wimbledon. However, he dropped two positions from World No. 1 to No. 3 in the year-end rankings, raising worries about his consistency.
However, Alcaraz did not hesitate to share his positive intentions last year, stating that he wanted to be “a part of tennis history”. He also used the 24-time Major winner’s career achievements as a reference point.
“I know it is almost impossible to break Novak’s records but I’m playing tennis for myself, for joy and I want to do great things,” Carlos Alcaraz said last year (via BBC Sport). “I want to be a part of tennis history.”
In an interview with GQ, Novak Djokovic discussed the Spaniard’s ambitious approach. The 37-year-old began by congratulating the World No. 3 and predicting that he will most likely complete the Career Grand Slam at some time in his career.
However, he did admit in the same breath that it may be premature for Alcaraz to consider his place in tennis history.
“Carlos has done something no one has done in history for such a young age. So the odds are with him. He is going to complete his [career] Slam very soon,” Novak Djokovic told GQ. “He’s even said himself, he wants to make history. He wants to be ‘the best in history.’ I respect that kind of mentality of ‘Hey, I think I got the goods.’ But maybe it’s a little bit early for him to think about history.”
