Novak Djokovic says if he thinks Carlos Alcaraz can break his 41-match winning streak record

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Novak Djokovic has held this record for 15 years, but it could now be under threat due to Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic won his first 41 matches of the 2011 season, before Roger Federer ended his winning run at Roland Garros.

This was a record at the time and no-one has since been able to repeat it, but Alcaraz now has his eyes on Djokovic’s record.

After Alcaraz, who has already won the Australian Open and Qatar Open titles this year, claimed his 13th consecutive win of the year, Djokovic revealed if he thinks his record is at risk.

Novak Djokovic backs Carlos Alcaraz to break his record

Alcaraz beat Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets to claim his 13th consecutive victory of the season, but he is still some way off Djokovic’s record and would likely need to win titles in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, as well as winning two matches in Rome to break it.

Despite this, when Djokovic was asked about this in his own post-match press conference, he suggested that Alcaraz was capable of achieving this record.

“He can do it,” said Djokovic. “He has everything that you need to have in terms of the game, in terms of the adaptability to different surfaces, and level of fitness and recovery that he has shown and matured over the years.

“He needs to keep his body healthy. If he keeps his body healthy, I mean, he’s so good that he can win any tournament he plays on.

“So you never know. He’s been doing some historic things in our sport for such a young age. But yeah, I mean, winning 40-plus matches, and I have had a couple other runs, as well, at the beginning of different seasons where I had 25-plus, I think, twice, it’s demanding.

“But, you know, at the same time, it feels when you are winning so much and you’re riding that wave, you know, you don’t want to let go of that wave. You want to surf on that wave as long as you can, because the level of confidence is really high, and obviously when you lose first time, that is a bit shaken up.

“But as long as you’re winning, you feel like each match you feel stronger, in a sense, if I can reflect or recall my feelings that I had during that time.

“Yeah, I wish him many more victories. I think he’s great for our sport, and what he’s been doing is remarkable.”

Carlos Alcaraz could break another Novak Djokovic record at Indian Wells

While Alcaraz is some way off breaking Djokovic’s 41-match winning record, he is just two match wins away from another record of the Serbian’s.

After beating Dimitrov, Alcaraz has now won 31 consecutive matches on outdoor hard courts, with his last defeat coming against David Goffin at the Miami Open last year.

In this run, Alcaraz has won titles in Cincinnati, the US Open, Tokyo, the Australian Open and most recently Doha.

As a result, Alcaraz is sixth in the all-time list of winning streaks on outdoor hard courts, equalling Djokovic’s second best run.

Djokovic’s best run on outdoor hard courts is 33 match wins in a row, meaning that Alcaraz can break this record if he reaches the semifinals at Indian Wells this year.

Alcaraz’s next opponent at Indian Wells is Shanghai Masters finalist Arthur Rinderknech, who he has a 5-0 winning head-to-head against.