Djokovic: I don’t need Alcaraz to motivate me

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, seeking his eighth Wimbledon title, insists he doesn’t need Carlos Alcaraz or any other tennis player to find “extra motivation” when it comes to the game Grand Slam.

Winner 23 directions He was full of praise for Alcaraz, whom he described as a “great guy” who made history at a very young age. “I think he’s doing really well and he’s very mature for a 20-year-old. He is making history at a very young age. It’s good for the sport that there is a player who brings so much intensity, energy and who is also humble and has a great personality off the court,” Djokovic explained at the press conference. “For someone his age, everything he does is impressive. He has Juan Carlos Ferrer , a former number one, who can guide him and help him. They work very well as a team.”

Asked if the appearance of these players gives him additional motivation, Đoković answered no, because he already knows that he has to play seven games for the title, whoever is ahead. “Whoever is on the other side of the net, it doesn’t make me much different. I have to do what I know I have to do. My attention is focused on my body and my mind, on my game, trying to be in the best possible condition for every game.

Alcaraz: I hope to play the final here against Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz, the first Wimbledon seed, assured that he hopes to play in the final against Novak Djokovic and that, unlike Rafael Nadal, he does not need two for the title and that he is going for the first time. “For me, the main favorite is Djokovic,” said the Spaniard at the press conference. “Djokovic makes things very easy, he moves very well, he hits the ball very cleanly, he doesn’t do anything wrong,” he said. “The hardest thing about playing against him is the pressure he puts on, not only against me, against everyone. It’s something I have to deal with, but I want to. I hope I can play the final against him,” he said.

To retain the number one ranking, Alcaraz must equal Djokovic’s Wimbledon record, although he said he does not feel any added pressure from being No. 1 in the rankings. “Honestly, I don’t feel a lot of pressure to be number one. I know what I have to do, I don’t think much about being number one so I can take that pressure off myself,” said Alcaraz, who seems to have more experience than last year, especially in the center field, where 2022 ., in his debut on that court, fell against the Italian Jannik Sinner. “I haven’t seen the plant yet this year. I haven’t been inside, I haven’t had the opportunity. I lived in Aorangi, but I’m learning fast. He’s learning fast from the experiences he’s had and I think that last year, which had a great impact on me, will not happen to me, because I already know how to deal with it,” he added.