Novak Djokovic hoping for another titanic battle with Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open – ‘The fans want to see a rivalry’
Novak Djokovic is hoping to another epic encounter with Carlos Alcaraz, as the US Open gets underway on Monday.
The final Grand Slam of the calendar year is nearly upon us, and fans will be hoping that Djokovic and Alcaraz come head-to-head once again after three clashes that have gone down in tennis folklore.
It was at Roland Garros where the duo first came up against each other, with cramp ultimately proving to be Alcaraz’s downfall in a four-set semi-final defeat.
However, the world No. 1 gained his revenge in the best way possible after a scintillating five-set win in this year’s Wimbledon’s final to claim a first title at the All England Club.
They faced off against each other for a third time at the Cincinnati Masters, with Djokovic coming out top in a best-of-three-sets final and won the last two via tie-breaks.
The Serb laughed off the prospect of competing with the 20-year-old for the next 10 years, but still has plenty of fuel left in tank to compete with the precocious young Spaniard.
“I’m not so sure about that, but I’ll try to play at a high level for as long as possible,” he told Eurosport.
“We have played three amazing, epic matches against each other at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and Cincinnati recently.
“All the matches went the distance; they were physically gruelling and demanding, but very exciting and close matches.
“The fans want to see a rivalry; they want to see the best players in the world go toe-to-toe. Hopefully we can give them another match here in New York.”
The US Open is known for its fantastic atmosphere, with the Arthur Ashe Stadium’s capacity of more than 23,000 making it the sport’s largest stadium.
“I expect a great energy, a great vibe, because that’s what I’ve been experiencing in New York all these years,” he added.
“It’s been two years since I last played here. It’s the biggest stadium we have in our sport; the night sessions are the loudest. The tennis sessions or matches you can experience for a player or a fan. I’m super excited.”
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