Novak Djokovic says meeting Carlos Alcaraz is “the ultimate challenge at the moment” for him. Today, Djokovic and Alcaraz will be meeting in the Cincinnati Masters final. After Djokovic defeated Alcaraz in the French Open semifinal, the Spaniard got his revenge by beating the Serb in the Wimbledon final. Now, they are set to meet again on the biggest stage.
āWell, I mean, I guess it’s the ultimate challenge at the moment for me. We faced each other in the last three events. Roland Garros, clay. Wimbledon, grass. Now hard court. It’s going to be the first encounter on a hard court. It’s a very good test prior to US Open. Obviously different conditions. Here best-of-three, US Open best-of-five. It’s still facing the top, top player of the world now who is in form. It’s the biggest challenge I could get, so I’m looking forward to it. Now it’s the best way to prepare for New York,ā Djokovic said.
Djokovic happy about the growing rivalry with Alcaraz
After meeting in the last two Grand Slams, Djokovic and Alcaraz are now set to also meet in a Masters final.
āThis is what everybody wanted and expected at the start of the tournament. Now here we are. It seems like itās turning into a rivalry. Iām loving it,ā Djokovic said.
Meanwhile, Djokovic is getting his wish granted. After losing the Wimbledon final to Alcaraz, Djokovic expressed hope to meet Alcaraz soon again, specifically the US Open.
āI hope we get to play in US Open. Why not? I think itās good for the sport, No 1 and No 2 in the world facing each other in almost a five-hours, five-set thriller. Couldnāt be better for our sport in general, so why not?” Djokovic said at Wimbledon.
It remains to be seen if Djokovic can beat Alcaraz and get a big of a revenge for what happened in the Wimbledon final.