Alcaraz clarified his relationship with Djokovic after lamenting the loss of Palaro gold

Carlos Alcaraz, 21 years old and world number 3, and Novak Djokovic37 years old and number 2, reunited in New York after a long week of not seeing each other. The Serbian gave up defending his ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati, ahead of the US Open, delaying his appointment with the Spaniard in the Flushing Meadows locker room, for the final Grand Slam of the season.

The draw meant Alcaraz and Djokovic didn’t have to think about another sporting confrontation until the final. The last two were very intense, with prizes distributed. The Murcian confirmed his Wimbledon hegemony by defeating the Balkan for the second time in a row in his former London garden.

However, Djokovic, who underwent surgery in the second week of Roland Garros, where he tore the meniscus in his right knee, returned to Paris soil to seek revenge.

He fulfilled his greatest dream by winning gold, defeating a Carlos Alcaraz who mourned the loss of the most precious metal. Someone cries from one and the other, from emotion, from what it means to climb to the top of the podium. The Murcian needs time to reduce his disappointment and appreciate how important an Olympic silver is.

Their rivalries were “always good and intense,” Alcaraz reviewed in New York, where he stressed that his relationship with Djokovic was very clear, whether he was losing or winning.

“We have a really good relationship off the court. We often talk in the locker room when we see each other around the world.” And that hasn’t changed, nor the fact that “when we get on the court, there are no friends on the circuit. That happens to everyone. I have a good relationship with many players, and one of them is Novak. Off the court Inside “It is everything changes.”

And he wouldn’t mind playing another final with Djokovic. “New York is crazy. I love playing here because the crowd gives you an energy that you don’t feel on other courts,” concluded Alcaraz.