Alcaraz says ‘beautiful battle’ with Djokovic drives him on

Bengaluru - Carlos Alcaraz is relishing his “beautiful battle” with Novak Djokovic for the year-end world No 1 ranking, with the 20-year-old Spaniard saying on Wednesday it will give him extra motivation heading into the China Open.         

Alcaraz has been the main challenger for Djokovic this year, beating him in the Wimbledon final, but the all-conquering Serb leapfrogged him into top spot en route to capturing his 24th Grand Slam title overall at the US Open this month.

Ahead of his return to action in Beijing this week, world No 2 Alcaraz said he would be thinking about the top spot every time he trains and plays in a bid to close the gap on Djokovic.

“We have a really beautiful battle to be world No 1, especially after the great performance Novak had in America,” Alcaraz told reporters, referring to Djokovic’s triumphs in Cincinnati and Flushing Meadows.

“Right now he’s No 1, so I come here with extra motivation to try to get him back and place first in the race. It’s something I keep in mind every time I’m training, I think about it in every tournament.

“It’s not mandatory for me to recover it, but we have to set goals for the year. For me, the No 1 position is one of my main objectives, so in these big tournaments I’m going to go for it, to try to do well, to be close and recover it.”

Alcaraz is joined in a strong Beijing field by several big names including world No 3 Daniil Medvedev, who beat him in the US Open semifinals.

The Spaniard will start his campaign with a first-round clash against German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann. 

Reuters