Carlos Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero has declared Novak Djokovic as the best tennis player in history. The Spanish coach was talking about the Serbian’s longevity and hunger to win after an amazing 2023 season. Novak Djokovic is all set to continue for another few years in the game despite turning 36 this year.
Djokovic has won three Grand Slams in a year for the fourth time in his career. The Serbian superstar won the Australian Open, French Open and the US Open. Also, he managed to reach the Wimbledon finals, where he was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz. The 36-year-old is set to end the season as the world number 1.
According to Marca, Alcaraz’s coach, Ferrero has hailed Djokovic as the greatest of all time. The Spanish coach feels that Djokovic has sacrificed a lot to be at the level he is at. Ferrero is not surprised by the Serbian’s success as he maintains professionalism with food, rest and choosing tournaments to compete in. The Spaniard admitted that people can prefer Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal’s style over Djokovic but no one can compete with Djokovic’s success.
“With Djokovic’s numbers there is no debate. You may like Rafa more, you may like Roger’s style more, but in terms of numbers the best in history is Novak. He is a player who lives for tennis & achieving results at the highest level. Everything he does is to be physically perfect. From food, to rest. It is very difficult, today, to want to have a life parallel to training & professionalism.. to dedicate just enough to tennis. It has to be the other way around. Djokovic, in that, is the best.”
Novak Djokovic will end 2023 as world number 1
Novak Djokovic has confirmed his year end number 1 ranking in the recent ATP Finals. The Serbian needed a win in his first match against Holger Rune to confirm his year end ranking. Djokovic won the ATP Finals opener in three sets. Now, the 36-year-old will aim to win a record seventh ATP Finals title.
Carlos Alcaraz took the number one spot after his Wimbledon final win against the Serbian. However, a poor display from the Spaniard in the Asian swing, enabled Djokovic to keep the number one spot. Although the Serbian didn’t compete in the Asian swing, he was the beneficiary due to other results.
Co-incidentally, Ferrero’s protege, Alcaraz is the man to take on Djokovic in the ATP Finals 2023 semifinals in what is expected to be the last time the duo will clash in 2023 in an ATP event. Alcaraz and Djokovic are also slated to play an exhibition match in Saudi Arabia next month.
