Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz is one of the major storylines of the 2023 tennis season as the two have already gone head-to-head on four different occasions — three this year.
And with both of them in the semi-final of the ongoing US Open, another final between the world no. 1 and 2 is on the cards and German tennis star Alexander Zverev doesn't like the idea of it.
Zverev opened up on the Alcaraz-Djokovic rivalry saying that someone needs to step up to stop those two.
“I played Novak in Cincinnati, I played Carlos here. I think they are very, very similar from the level of the game," said Zverev in his post-match press conference at Flushing Meadows. "There are some things that Novak does better; there are some things that Carlos does better.
“I think they are at a level of their own at the moment. The other guys gotta catch up. That's as simple as that.”
Zverev's 2023 US Open campaign was ended by no one other than the world no. 1 after losing three successive sets.
“I was in the match the first set. I could have broken, it could have gone my way, it didn't,” reflected Zverev. “Then the second set I felt something in my hamstring glute, left side. I couldn't push off on my serve anymore. My serve speed was down quite a lot compared to the other days. Against him especially I needed a good serving day otherwise it would have been difficult.
“I think my biggest weapon was kind of taken away after the first set and it's difficult to even compete if you don't have that.”
Their first encounter between the top two players was in the 2022 ATP Masters 1000 in Madrid, Spain, where the young Alcaraz emerged victorious and announced himself to the world.
After that, they met in the semi-final of Roland Garros this year, where the Spaniard had to taste a defeat following cramps.
But soon after his defeat in Paris, Alcaraz got his revenge and ended Djokovic's 14-match win streak at Wimbledon and beat him in the Grand Slam final.
Their most recent encounter was in the Cincinnati Open final in August where the Serb made a jaw-dropping comeback after saving a championship point and clinched the title.