Novak Djokovic Weighs in on Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz Rivalry

Novak Djokovic sees a lot of parallels between the Jannik Sinner–Carlos Alcaraz rivalry and the legendary FeDal rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Ahead of this year’s US Open, Djokovic spoke with members of the press on Friday about a wide range of topics.

At one point, the 24-time Grand Slam winner weighed in on the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry, which has seen the two already collide four times this year.

“I think their rivalry is amazing. What they have done in the previous two years is, you know, remarkable for both of these players. Particularly this year, the finals that we’ve seen them play against each other in Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and [a] few other tournament is just amazing for our sport.

“On a global sport stage, these are the types of encounters and rivalries people get very excited about. … People love to see rivalries. I think their rivalry is, without a doubt, the best one we have in the moment.”

You can see his comments in the video below beginning at the 10:10 mark.

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Novak Djokovic Hopes to see Another Player Challenge Sinner & Alcaraz

When Novak Djokovic first defeated Roger Federer in the final of the 2007 Canadian Open, the FeDal rivalry was already well established, with Nadal famously defeating Federer in their first meeting at the 2004 Miami Open, and Federer avenging the loss in the final the following year.

As Djokovic went on to explain during Friday’s press conference, he hopes to see a third player enter the mix and challenge the other two, much like he did years back.

“You have obviously young players that are definitely going to challenge them and hopefully, somebody can get in the mix. Rune was there and then he kind of goes up and down, Fonseca, there are players that are able to have that joker spot, you know, the third spot.

“I kind of empathize with the third guy because I was in those shoes, you know, with Federer and Nadal. So I want to see a third guy coming in, but it’s fun. To see these guys play on such a high level is amazing.”

Djokovic Talks 2025 US Open

Heading into this year’s US Open, Novak Djokovic hasn’t played an ATP Tour match since the semifinal of Wimbledon, when he lost to Jannik Sinner in straight sets.

While Djokovic is entering the US Open eager to capture an elusive 25th Grand Slam, the all-time-great is eager to make a deep run in Flushing Meadows:

“I’ve put in a lot of training in the last three, four weeks, and I decided not to play [after Wimbledon] because i wanted to spend more time with my family and to be honest, I think I earned my right and have the luxury of picking, choosing where I want to go and what I want to play. … I’m not prioritizing the heavy schedule as I used to.”

As Djokovic went on to explain, the two-week Masters 1000 tournaments we saw recently in Toronto and Cincinnati are frankly too long for him.

Instead of focusing on his ranking, or on points, his sights are set on a 25th Slam.

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