Miami Open: 'Fearless Carlos Alcaraz fuels prospect of Novak Djokovic duel'

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Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the Indian Wells trophy

If anybody extracurricular the tennis satellite had forgotten astir Carlos Alcaraz aft an injury-hit fewer months, the Spanish teen has rapidly reminded them of his precocious talent.

The 19-year-old US Open champion is backmost connected court, backmost to his champion and backmost arsenic the satellite fig one.

But if Alcaraz does not support his Miami rubric this fortnight, and the 1,000 ranking points which travel with victory, helium volition beryllium overtaken again astatine the apical of the satellite rankings by Novak Djokovic - adjacent though the 35-year-old Serb is not playing successful Florida.

Their duel for the ATP apical spot - which is calculated by points accrued implicit the erstwhile 52 weeks - is acceptable to proceed implicit the coming months.

And the ascendant mode successful which Alcaraz swept to the prestigious Indian Wells rubric past week fuelled thoughts astir a tantalising conflict with Djokovic for the sport's biggest prizes successful 2023.

"Novak is 1 of the champion players successful the world. That's obvious. If you privation to beryllium the best, you person to bushed the best," said Alcaraz.

"I privation to play against him galore much times."

For now, Alcaraz - and the remainder of america - indispensable hold a small longer...

On-court conflict indispensable hold until clay

Frustratingly, the conflict betwixt Alcaraz and Djokovic is processing without some contiguous astatine cardinal tournaments and small accidental for the brace to spell toe-to-toe connected the court.

When Djokovic swept speech a raft of younger opponents to triumph a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam men's rubric astatine the Australian Open, it led to the evident questions about wherefore the adjacent procreation could not halt him.

Djokovic was outlandish successful his brilliance, showing each the facets of his greatness - technique, athleticism, mindset - connected his mode to different triumph successful Melbourne.

Things mightiness person turned retired otherwise had Alcaraz, who was ruled retired with a hamstring injury, been capable to play. Then again, things mightiness person turned retired otherwise had Djokovic been capable to play astatine the US Open and Indian Wells.

Djokovic is inactive not allowed to participate the United States due to the fact that helium is not vaccinated against Covid-19, meaning helium is besides missing successful Miami.

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz clasp aft their Madrid Open semi-final successful 2022

"I congratulate Alcaraz, helium perfectly deserves to travel backmost to fig one," Djokovic told CNN this week.

"It's a pity I wasn't capable to play Indian Wells and Miami, I had plentifulness of occurrence there, but is simply a conscious determination I made."

Djokovic is acceptable to instrumentality to the circuit astatine Monte Carlo adjacent period and, if the brace support fittingness and form, appetising showdowns betwixt the brace could hap connected the European clay courts.

Throw Rafael Nadal - the long-reigning 'King of Clay' who has been injured since the Australian Open - into the premix and it could culminate successful a French Open to savour.

"I'm a nonrecreational tennis player, but besides I'm a immense instrumentality of tennis and I ever privation to ticker the champion players successful the world, similar Rafa, similar Djokovic," said Alcaraz.

"In each tourney I privation them to beryllium playing and I anticipation we get them backmost soon."

Alcaraz picks up wherever helium near disconnected

The buzz astir Alcaraz chopped done to the sporting mainstream when helium landed the US Open title successful September and became the youngest men's satellite fig 1 successful history.

His momentum was stalled by a torn abdominal musculus which ended his 2022 campaign, followed by the occupation which ruled him retired of the season-opening large successful Australia.

Since returning to the ATP Tour past month, Alcaraz has picked up wherever helium near off.

Playing the fearless marque of tennis which continues to triumph plaudits and admirers, Alcaraz has won 2 of the 3 tournaments helium has played - Buenos Aires and Indian Wells - portion losing successful the last to Britain's Cameron Norrie astatine the different successful Rio de Janeiro.

"I person nary doubts astir my shots. I consciousness truly comfy connected court. I truly spot successful each changeable that I hit," said Alcaraz.

"That's wherefore I'm playing a large level, due to the fact that if I miss, I don't mind. I don't attraction astir the miss. I'm trying to deed 100% successful each changeable and having nary doubts."

A young instrumentality holds up a 'King Alcaraz' motion during Carlos Alcaraz's lucifer against Daniil Medvedev successful the Indian Wells final

The destructive mode successful which helium dismantled erstwhile satellite fig 1 Daniil Medvedev to triumph successful Indian Wells was a peculiarly almighty statement.

Medvedev came into the last connected the backmost of a 19-match, three-title winning streak, but adjacent the Russian - who has been dubbed a 'human backboard' due to the fact that of his antiaircraft skills - could not halt Alcaraz uncovering a mode done from the baseline.

Aggressive returning produced excoriating winners and pushed Medvedev heavy connected the court, which successful crook allowed Alcaraz to usage his deft manus skills astatine the nett to inflict further punishment.

The prime of Alcaraz's all-round show led American fable Chris Evert to state helium has "no weaknesses whatsoever".

"I ever accidental that you tin amended everything a small spot more," Alcaraz said aft arriving successful Miami.

"You person to improve, you person to get amended each day. That is wherefore the large players, the 'Big Three' for example, did passim their careers, improving a spot each day."

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