Novak Djokovic ‘not threatened’ by Alcaraz as Federer and Nadal suspicion raised

Mats Wilander has explained why Novak Djokovic isn’t threatened by Carlos Alcaraz as the pair are primed to meet in the US Open final. The two men have already contested two thrilling finals this season and have been in a battle for the No 1 ranking all year. And Wilander suggested that Djokovic was “enjoying” his rivalry with Alcaraz more than he did against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Tennis fans are hoping to see another Djokovic and Alcaraz showdown by the end of the US Open, as the pair have already recently met in the finals of both Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Open. The Serb has already won one mini-battle this fortnight, guaranteeing that he will return to world No 1 after the tournament by winning his opening match.

Djokovic himself also shared his wish to face Alcaraz in the US Open final after narrowly defeating the Spaniard in Cincinnati. And retired pro Wilander has a suspicion that the 36-year-old is appreciating his rivalry with Alcaraz more than he did while facing Federer and Nadal.

“When he plays Carlitos he seems to be enjoying the fight in a different way to when he plays Roger and Rafa,” the former world No 1 told Eurosport. Djokovic’s good relationship with Alcaraz has likely been helped by their age gap, as Wilander also thought that it meant the Serb wasn’t threatened by his young rival.

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The seven-time Major winner said: “He plays like there’s no pressure and he’s not threatened by him. He’ll be thinking: ‘I am 36 and he’s 20 years old. Yes he can be No 1, but I will be No 1 right now.’ I think there is an enjoyment factor and that’s why he fought to the very end at Cincinnati.”

In Cincinnati, Djokovic compared the thrilling three-set match to a Grand Slam final as he shared his wish for the US Open. “It did feel like a Grand Slam final. Even more than that. Every match that we play against each other goes the distance, I’m hoping we can play in some weeks’ time in New York, that would be nice,” he said during his victory speech, quickly adding: “For the crowd, I don’t know about me.”

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But the 23-time Major champion changed his tune slightly when he arrived in Flushing Meadows, admitting that it would be disrespectful to his other opponents if he automatically assumed he would reach the final and face Alcaraz. 

Djokovic explained: “I think it’s also in a way disrespectful to your next opponent if you’re already thinking about your finals matchup. Even though I’ve had tremendous success, maybe you could argue that I could already start thinking about later phases and stages in the tournament, but that kind of mindset never really resonated with me.”

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