Djokovic on the unique talent of Carlos Alcaraz

Novak Djokovic knew he was on the verge of greatness during his five-set loss in the Wimbledon final.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion was full of praise for his 20-year-old opponent in an emotional haze of his on-court interview, but has added some context to his compliments in the post-match press conference.

When asked who Djokovic would most compare Carlos Alcaraz to, the Serb’s answer was ominous for the rest of the court.

“I think people have talked over the last 12 months about his game, which has certain elements of Roger, Rafa and myself.

“I would agree. I think he basically has the best of all three worlds.

After that, Djokovic praised the emotional and mental maturity that Alcaraz is already showing at the age of 20.

“He has this mental resilience and really maturity for someone who is 20 years old. That’s pretty impressive.

“He has the Spanish competitive spirit and fighting spirit and incredible defense that we’ve seen with Rafa over the years.

“And I think he’s got nice sliding hands, that he has some similarities to my backhand. Yeah, two handed backhands, defense, adaptability.

“I think that has been my personal strength for many years. He’s got that too.”

I have never played a player like him.

Djokovic explains what makes Alcaraz so special

For the rest of the tour, the prospect of Djokovic describing Alcaraz as a combination of the best parts of the three greatest men’s players of all time is shocking.

Yet it is also completely true.

The Spaniard has Djokovic’s resilience, contorting his body into all sorts of gymnastic stretches to get balls that others simply couldn’t.

He has the firepower of his compatriot Rafael Nadal and the intensity of a Spaniard who smothers opponents with the ferocious weight of his palms.

Most notably, Alcaraz also has the balletic tenacity of Roger Federer, finishing high-octane full-throttle rallies with drop shots that are as light as a feather.

As Djokovic says: “I’ve never played like him, to be honest.

“Roger and Rafa clearly have their strengths and weaknesses. Carlos is a very complete player. Unbelievable adaptability, which I think is the key to longevity and a successful career on any surface.”

For a player whose most unfavorable surface was grass prior to this season’s grass pitch swing, the inevitable question now is how the next generation hopes to compete with this absolute phenom.

Time will tell if they, or indeed Djokovic, will come up with the answer.

For now, Novak’s unfinished sentence in Alcaraz’s performance summary perhaps says more than words ever really could.

– For someone his age to manage his nerves like this, play attacking tennis and finish the match the way he did…

Ominous.