"He brings so much energy on the court": Novak Djokovic claims Carlos Alcaraz 'reminds' him of Rafael Nadal

Serbia’s legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic has stated that Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz reminds him of former world number one Rafael Nadal. The 21-year-old is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category along with the likes of Italy’s Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic, who is currently taking part in the ongoing Australian Open, was asked by the media about the possibility of facing the reigning world number three in the quarterfinal of the first Grand Slam of the year. In response to that, the former world number highlighted that seeing the young Spaniard play reminds him of the legendary tennis star Nadal who recently retired from the sport after winning 22 Grand Slam titles.

“I mean, it's quite far to talk about potential matchup against him in quarters,” he said. “But just overall, you know, he brings so much energy and intensity on the court. From that perspective, reminds me a lot of Rafa. Just such a complete player. He can hurt you from anywhere on any court on any surface. He has shown that. His versatility is amazing. That he was able at such a young age to reach that level of tennis and I think mental maturity on the court, which is impressive. Makes him one of the best players in the world the last three, four years, without a doubt. He's winning slams every year now consecutively for few years in a row. I'm sure that he's not going to stop here. We're going to see Carlos many years to follow.”

Djokovic registered his place in the second round after beating America’s Nishesh Basavareddy with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. The contest lasted more than three hours. On the other hand, Alcaraz secured his spot in the round of 64 after beating Alexander Shevchenko in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 7-5, 6-1.