Carlos Alcaraz needs new rivals for a new era

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain posing with the trophy after winning his Wimbledon men's singles final against Novak Djokovic of Serbia on Sunday. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

LONDON – Novak Djokovic was still trying to digest the loss of his Wimbledon crown to Carlos Alcaraz when one reporter asked him whether Sunday’s clash was the start of a great rivalry.

The irony was not lost on Djokovic who, despite still at his peak, is 36 years old and in sight of the end of his record-shredding career.

“I would hope so, for my sake,” the Serb said. “He’s going to be on the tour for quite some time. I don’t know how long I’ll be around.”

Djokovic’s rivalries with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, plus Andy Murray, have captivated the sport for close to two decades.

But time is against him forming another one with Alcaraz. He played Federer 50 times, 17 of them at Majors; Nadal on 59 occasions, 18 of them at Majors and Murray 36 times, with 10 of them at Grand Slam level.

So far, he has faced the 20-year-old Alcaraz three times.

Certainly, the prospect of another showdown at the US Open in a few weeks is exciting, but whether or not 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic can stretch his career long enough to battle Alcaraz on a regular basis is questionable.

“I think it’s good for the sport, one and two in the world facing each other in five hours, five-set thrillers. Couldn’t be better for our sport in general, so why not?” Djokovic said.

The reality, however, is that world No. 1 Alcaraz could be left without a serious rival, certainly among the current Next Gen brigade, who appear a long way behind the Spanish phenomenon.

“Who’s going to match this kid for the next few years?” 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash said, after Alcaraz ended Djokovic’s 34-match winning run at the grass-court Slam.

The Spaniard himself is trying to dampen expectations, particularly after Djokovic said: “I haven’t played a player like him ever”, noting that the 20-year-old’s game “consists of certain elements from Roger, Rafa, and myself”.

“He’s got basically the best of all three worlds. He’s got this Spanish bull mentality, fighting spirit and incredible defence that we’ve seen with Rafa.

“I think he’s got some nice sliding backhands, some similarities with my backhands. He is a complete player.”

Alcaraz, however, has tried to keep a lid on things, saying: “I don’t feel that I have confirmed something that we all expected. I try to avoid what people say, what people expect because in the end it’s a pressure that I put on myself.”

Hopefully, Alcaraz’s meteoric rise will have a positive impact on those around the same age group, just as Federer and Nadal inspired Djokovic to be the player he is.

He seems to think so, saying: “It’s great for the new generation to see me beating him and make them think they are capable of doing it as well.”

Italian Jannik Sinner, 21, beat Alcaraz at Wimbledon in 2022 but has reached only one Grand Slam semi-final, losing to Djokovic in straight sets last week.

Denmark’s new world No. 4 Holger Rune, 20, has the game and personality to form a rivalry with his former junior sparring partner Alcaraz, while Italian Lorenzo Musetti, 21, is another with the potential to step up.

But, for the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev – players who were supposed to have filled the void after the “Big Three” depart – they have watched Alcaraz zoom by them.

Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, was outclassed by Alcaraz in the Wimbledon semi-finals, lasting less than two hours on Centre Court.

Professional sport is full of pitfalls and those suggesting Alcaraz will be sweeping titles for another decade at least, should pause for thought.

Federer, Djokovic and Nadal often talk about the motivation they gave one another as the bar was pushed higher and higher.

Between them, they won 65 Grand Slam titles and it has to be hoped that Alcaraz finds a couple of adversaries to share the load as tennis moves into a new era.

“I think he’s already taken Sinner with him and he will take Holger Rune with him, although Holger Rune maybe hasn’t latched on to the idea yet,” seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander told Reuters.

“Roger made Novak and Rafa think, ‘Hey this guy is not going to give us anything, we have to go and take it from him,’ and I think Carlos can definitely be that guy.”
REUTERS, AFP

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