Miami

Wishing for Djokovic showdown, Alcaraz says, ‘Those are the matches that attract fans to tennis’

For the third time this year, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are in the same part of the draw.

After their clash in Australia, and what was a potential encounter between the two in the quarters in Indian Wells, the Spaniard and Serbian have cropped up on the same side at the Miami Open presented by Itau. The Murcia native could not be happier about a potential clash before the final — he is a self-professed fan of his rivalry with the man with more major titles than any other.

“We’re on the same side of the draw, hopefully we’ll both reach the semi-finals,” he said on Wednesday during his first appearance before the media at the second Masters 1000 of the season. “As I said before, these are the matches that attract tennis fans because I think every time we play it’s fun to watch.”

Facing Djokovic would be a golden opportunity that Alcaraz would not want to pass up, particularly because so many people would want to witness the showdown.

“I’m very happy to be one of the players that leads people to start playing tennis and to want to watch tennis matches for the first time. That’s what I try to do, to have a style or a type of tennis that people like,” Alcaraz said. “I don’t just play for myself and for my people, I also play so that the fans are entertained. It makes me happy to be a player who contributes to tennis in that way.”

Another tilt at Djokovic would mark Alcaraz’s ninth encounter with the 37-year-old, and their first in Miami. Djokovic leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head 5-3. Alcaraz will not be looking ahead, though, as he has a tough path to get to that potential battle with Djokovic. The Spaniard begins against David Goffin, against whom he has a 1-1 record.

“In the end, this is a Masters 1000. There are still too many rounds to be thinking about the semis. And from the second round, there are already matches that are really fun to watch and tough to play. We’ll see what happens in the tournament on those days. Of course, if you want to win the tournament you have to beat the best players, like Djokovic. We’ll try and be in that position,” said the 2022 Miami champion.

At No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Alcaraz has plenty of reasons to believe he could go deep in Miami once again, despite his semi-final defeat at Indian Wells to eventual champion Jack Draper. The high level of the Briton, who broke into the Top 10 in the world on Monday thanks to his first Masters 1000 title, will do something to cushion the blow of the result.

“He’s playing great tennis at the moment. He played every point with a lot of quality. To me the most important thing is that he’s grown physically,” Alcaraz said. “That’s key for his mind because now his confidence is even higher. In Indian Wells he played great tennis. His mental level is good enough to play at the highest level throughout an entire match. I think that makes him a tough opponent.”

The defeat in the Californian desert is now forgotten and Alcaraz will now seek his sixth Masters 1000 crown and 18th tour-level title.

“I’m happy with my year so far. I’ve won one tournament [Rotterdam] out of the four I’ve played,” Alcaraz said. “I think there are good results, a good level and a good rhythm despite some painful defeats. But I’m happy because I’m improving. I’m maturing, I’m on the right path, and that’s the path I have to keep following. Good things will come, or I’m hopeful they will.”

Editor's Note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es.