Novak Djokovic hasn't played a tennis player like Carlos Alcaraz ever before.
That's some massive praise considering the 23-time Grand Slam winner — widely recognized as the greatest player of all time — has been playing since he turned pro in 2003.
However, it became evident to Djokovic after losing to the Spaniard in the Wimbledon final yesterday despite winning the first set 6-1.
Alcaraz has regularly been labeled as a mix of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer — the Big Three — and the Serbian superstar can't help but agree with that assessment after Sunday.
“I think people have been talking in the past 12 months or so about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa, and myself,” Djokovic said at the post-match press conference (via Marca). “I would agree with that. I think he’s got basically best of all three worlds.
“He’s got this mental resilience and real maturity for someone who is 20 years old. It’s quite impressive. He’s got this Spanish bull mentality of competitiveness and fighting spirit and incredible defense that we’ve seen with Rafa over the years.
“And I think he's got some nice sliding backhands that he's got some similarities with my backhands. The two-handed backhands, defence, being able to adapt. I think that has been my personal strength for many years. He has it, too.”
In the end, Novak Djokovic, who now trails Alcaraz 2-1 in their head-to-head record, believes the 20-year-old is the complete player as well as a type of player he hasn't played before.
“I haven't played a player like him ever, to be honest,” he added. “Roger and Rafa have their own obvious strengths and weaknesses. Carlos is a very complete player. Amazing adapting capabilities that I think are a key for longevity and for a successful career on all surfaces.”