Novak Djokovic casts ‘doubt’ on his future as he shares Carlos Alcaraz wish

Novak Djokovic has thrown doubt over his future in tennis by admitting he may not have many more encounters with Carlos Alcaraz. The pair have built up a considerable rivalry in the last 12 months but are at very different stages in their careers.

Djokovic won three of the four men’s Grand Slam singles titles this year. He equalled Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 major single titles with his triumph at the US Open earlier this month.

The only blemish in his attempts to win a calendar Grand Slam was his defeat to Alcaraz in a memorable Wimbledon final in July. Alcaraz won a five-set thriller at SW19 to prevent Djokovic from winning the tournament for a ninth team.

It was only the third time the pair had ever met. Alcaraz won the first clash in May 2022, beating Djokovic in the final of the Madrid Open.

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Djokovic won the next meeting in the French Open final this year before making it 2-2 in their head-to-head in the final of the Cincinnati Masters in August. Djokovic says tennis is in a good place for the years to come with Alcaraz at the helm.

During the All Star Match before the Ryder Cup, the 36-year-old said: “I think tennis, definitely the future is looking good with Carlos leading that field. We’ve had some thrilling encounters.

“This year with the final at Wimbledon and also Roland Garros and Cincinnati – that was one of the best three-set matches I’ve ever played. It’s great for our sport there are more rivalries happening, but rivalries with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, particularly, and also with Andy Murray are right up there for me.”

However, Djokovic conceded that it is unlikely he will play Alcaraz anywhere near as much as he did Federer, Nadal and Murray. Djokovic has played Nadal a staggering 59 times to date in his career.

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He also reached the 50 mark against Federer, while facing old friend Murray on 36 occasions. Djokovic knows he would have to keep playing for years to come in order to reach those numbers against Alcaraz, something he admits is unlikely.

He added: “Hopefully I’ll play him as many times as I played the other guys and that will mean I’ll be playing for years to come. But I doubt that, let’s see how it goes.

“I’ve had a fantastic year. Grand Slams are the ones that count the most for me at this point of my career, they’re the ones where I want to play my best tennis.

“This year, (winning) three out of four Slams and another final, I couldn’t ask for more.”

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