Novak Djokovic's Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz statement after skipping Italian Open
Novak Djokovic has called Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz the "leaders of our sport" after watching the pair go head-to-head in the Italian Open final on Sunday
Novak Djokovic returns to action this week, after opting out of the Italian Open for the first time in his career. His clay swing has been quite challenging as the world No.6 has yet to secure a win on the surface. He faced initial round defeats at Monte-Carlo and Madrid.
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner went head-to-head in Rome, in the most high-stakes match between them yet, and Djokovic even watched some of it. After witnessing Alcaraz's 7-6(5) 6-1 win, the 24-time Grand Slam titleholder acknowledged the rising prominence of his younger opponents.
In their faceoff on Sunday for the Italian Open trophy, the tennis world finally saw the long-awaited major final between Sinner and Alcaraz.
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They had often had close calls at major tournaments - they were put into the same bracket, which limited them to semifinals or didn't make it to the final round simultaneously.
On Sunday, Alcaraz managed to save two set points while 5-6 down and won the tiebreaker. He quickly took the second set and won the championship.
Djokovic caught the final games of the first set, describing their performance as top-notch.
"I saw the end of the first set, just those few games, I think they played at a high level," he told Sport Klub. "They are now the leaders of our sport, their rivalry is currently the biggest and it is good for our sport, that we have new young tennis players."
Once the undisputed titan of tennis courts, Novak Djokovic amassed an impressive collection of silverware, locked in legendary duels with icons like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray. However, he acknowledges the baton has been passed to the rising stars.
"I am glad that this is the case, in the last 20 years there has been such excitement around the Big Four. There is also [Alexander] Zverev, we must not forget him," Djokovic remarked.
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Observing the fresh faces challenge each other, he noted, "It was nice to see how they compete. Alcaraz broke through by winning the first set, Sinner at the beginning of the second gave way."
Djokovic is eyeing another addition to his trophy cabinet this week. With a less-than-stellar start on clay this season and after withdrawing from the Italian Open, he opted to join the ATP 250 fray in Geneva last minute.
Holding the world No. 6 spot, Djokovic is on the prowl for his 100th career title, facing off against Marton Fucsovics in his initial match slated for Wednesday.
His previous stint at this tourney saw him surge to the semi-finals, only to be halted by Tomas Machac's play last year.
