"Carlos Alcaraz would have won the same 10, 15 years ago" - Novak Djokovic contradicts Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni's claim that past players were better

Novak Djokovic does not agree with Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach Toni Nadal, who recently said top players from previous times were better than the current ones.

In his recent column for the Spanish newspaper El Pais, Toni Nadal compared tennis players from 10-15 years ago to the ones that are playing today, claiming that the past players were superior. He believes that at their peak, players like Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka would have beaten the top ranked players in today's game like Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, and others.

However, when the matter was brought to the attention of Djokovic, the Serb presented a different view. Asserting that each generation has its own set of tennis prodigies, Novak Djokovic said Carlos Alcaraz would have enjoyed the same success a decade ago.

"I don't agree with that because each generation has a group of great tennis players who lead it. Now they are Alcaraz, Rune and Sinner. They dominate most tournaments in the last two years. The way Carlos plays, defends, attacks. It's very complete, would have won the same thing 10 or 15 years ago because each generation has its own champions," the Serb said.

Toni Nadal also claimed that Novak Djokovic was a better player 10-15 years ago, and the Serb disagreed with that too. Talking about a hypothetical encounter with his older self, Djokovic said:

"I'm sure it would be a great battle. I had more mobility and energy, but now I have more experience and I am stronger mentally. I try to be better every year because it's the only way to face today's young people to win a Grand Slam."

Novak Djokovic will take on Ben Shelton in the 2023 US Open semifinals

US Open Tennis

The 23-time Grand Slam champion will square off against American prodigy Ben Shelton in the semifinals of the New York Major on Friday.

On Monday afternoon at Arthur Ashe Stadium, ninth-seeded Taylor Fritz fell to Novak Djokovic 1-6, 4-6, 4-6. In the evening session at Arthur Ashe Stadium on the same day, 2022 NCAA men's singles champion Ben Shelton defeated compatriot Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2.

Novak Djokovic and Ben Shelton have never played against each other. The American, who is known for his explosive serve, will be up against arguably the greatest returner in the history of the sport.

It will be interesting to see how the youthful energy of Shelton matches up against the craft and guile of Djokovic.