In an exhibition match in Saudi Arabia, young gun Carlos Alcaraz has squared the ledger with Novak Djokovic, who is the world No.2. Alcaraz pulled off the victory against the huge cashed crowd of princes and tycoons. He won 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and has three wins from their six encounters. Though this win is unlikely to break Djokovic’s confidence, it was a remarkable victory for Alcaraz.
Djokovic had only kind words for Alcaraz. He said that Alcaraz a fantastic player who is one of the leaders of the sport and can carry the sport for the next 10 to 15 years. Alcaraz, in return, mentioned that it was incredible to share the court with Djokovic and learn from him.
Djokovic’s next potential meeting is the final of the Australian Open where he will be aiming for his 25th Grand Slam. He also hailed the return of Rafa Nadal, another great player, who will feature in Brisbane before the Open tournament.
In another event taking place in Perth, Australia’s mixed-teams event, known as the United Cup, will see Australia facing a tough task against teams from the US, Great Britain, Poland, Serbia, Germany, Greece, and others. The US team is led by world-class players Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula.
In addition, the ATP Tour has confirmed a revamped ranking points system for 2024. The major change involves the increase in 96-draw Masters 1000 events and an improved balance and distribution of points to provide a bigger challenge for players outside the top 100 to break into the elite list.