After losing in the Australian Open semi-finals, the wait goes on for Novak Djokovic to claim an elusive 25th Grand Slam title with injury hampering his progress in Melbourne.
John McEnroe felt Djokovic was milking his injury during a quarter-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz. However, those claims looked foolish when the Serb retired after one set of his semi-final against Alexander Zverev.
Djokovic hasn’t won a major since he lifted the US Open title for the fourth time in 2023. Last year he did complete tennis by winning the Olympic gold medal but at 37-years-old he will be desperate to get to Grand Slam title number 25.
Despite his career now reaching the twilight zone, he remains the one legendary figure currently playing on the ATP Tour, with Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal waving goodbye to professional tennis last year.
Novak Djokovic picks ATP player who could become tennis ambassador
When Djokovic talks people tend to listen when it comes to tennis. When he’s in his best form he will still be one of the men to beat and he will hope to claim a few more big wins before time is called on his career.
Djokovic has picked out Carlos Alcaraz as the man to take over the baton when it comes to taking over the duties as an ambassador for tennis when the time comes for him to sail off into the sunset.
He told Serbian news outlet Vijesti: “We have Alcaraz and Siner who are developing a new rivalry. Nadal, Federer and I, as well as Murray who I have to include here, have really dominated men’s tennis in the last 15-20 years and we have raised the standard and criteria quite high, not only in terms of results but also with all the other aspects and expectations that a champion and world number one should have, how he should represent it, how he should play that ambassadorial role of the sport, the leader of the sport.
“When we talk about charisma, Alcaraz stands out as someone who has stood out, not only with his games, exceptional achievements and results for such a young age, but also as someone who is very charismatic, a fair-play player and kind to everyone. And when he loses, he loses with a smile, which is really impressive for such a young man who doesn’t have much experience, but who acts as if he has been on the tour for 10 years or more.
“I think the cause of all this is his proper upbringing, his environment, his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, a former number one and Grand Slam champion who passed on to him from a young age what it means to be an athlete, not only in terms of championship performance, achieving results and perseverance, but also what are the sporting values and principles that should be advocated and nurtured, passed on and serve as a guiding star for the younger generations who follow tennis and who would like to one day achieve their goals.”
What Novak Djokovic thinks about Jannik Sinner
The Italian might be the runaway player at the top of the ATP Tour rankings and the reigning Australian Open and US Open champion but Djokovic hasn’t mentioned him as a future ambassador for the game.
When quizzed about Sinner during the Australian Open Djokovic summed up the Italian with a one-word answer of ‘skiing’, ignoring anything to do with his ability as a tennis player.
However, it should be stressed that although Djokovic has no animosity towards Sinner, it does feel as though he’s much closer to Alcaraz and sees more of his winning mentality in the Spaniard.
Alcaraz plays the game how it should be played; in a competitive fashion, with a never-say-die attitude but always with a smile on his face and as a player who clearly enjoys his profession.
The youngster has burst onto the scene at the perfect time. With Federer and Nadal now retired the game is lacking in characters and influential figures but in Alcaraz the future looks extremely bright for the modern-day game.
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