"He’s 21 years old": Novak Djokovic unsure of reason behind criticism of Carlos Alcaraz

Former world number one Novak Djokovic has stated that he does not understand the criticism received by Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz. The 21-year-old, who is 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, is going through a difficult phase, according to his own high standards.

Those performances have not gone unnoticed, as Alcaraz has received some criticism from different quarters of the tennis community, especially from the fans on social media, who questioned whether the young Spaniard has what it takes to become one of the greats of the game.

Former world number one Djokovic, who is regarded as the greatest player in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category in the Open era, having won as many as 24 Grand Slam titles, has recently spoken to Eurosport Spain where stated that he does not understand the reason behind criticism on Alcaraz who has achieved so much so early in his career.

“No, I don’t understand it,” he said. “But the atmosphere and tradition of tennis in this country is very high. The expectation is enormous after Nadal, [Carlos] Moya, [Juan Carlos] Ferrero… they’ve all been world No 1. But, listen. He’s 21 years old, he’s won four Grand Slams and many tournaments. What more do you want? You want more, but what he’s done in this period is incredible.”

Alcaraz is coming into the competition on the back of two impressive performances in the last two competitions. He first lifted the Monte-Carlo Masters after beating Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the final with a score of 3-6, 6-1, 6-0. After that, Alcaraz featured in the Barcelona Open where he finished as the runner-up after losing in the final to Denmark’s Holger Rune in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-2.