Novak Djokovic's absence puts an asterisk on Carlos Alcaraz's recent success, says tennis journalist

The 2023 tennis season is yet to witness a tournament featuring both Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. As a result, tennis journalist David Avakian has put an asterisk on the young Spaniard's recent accomplishments.

After winning the 2023 Madrid Open, the 20-year-old needs to play just one match at the upcoming Italian Open to replace the Serb as the World No. 1. Alcaraz briefly held the top spot after winning his third Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells. However, he lost it to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the Miami Open. Despite this, Alcaraz has had a fantastic year so far, winning four titles and losing only two matches.

In a recent conversation on the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast, journalist Avakian was asked if Djokovic's absence should be factored in Alcaraz's success, to which he agreed and expressed his eagerness to see the two players face each other soon. The 2022 Madrid Open semifinal is the only time the top two players have clashed, with Alcaraz winning 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(5).

"Yes, for sure. It's the thing I've been longing for — the Novak-Alcaraz clash," Avakian said. "At a Grand Slam, sure, that'll be great but anywhere at this point because it's just not happening. I mean it happened here [Madrid] last year of course, but even then, it was kind of Novak was just coming back. It wasn't really like a full-strength Novak against a full-strength Alcaraz. So, please, as soon as possible."

Alcaraz has had to overcome injury setbacks in 2023, including an abdominal muscle tear ahead of the Australian Open and a leg injury that kept him out of action for another month. In contrast, Djokovic has had a strong start to the season, winning the Adelaide International 1 and the Australian Open.

Djokovic however, missed out on the Sunshine Double for a second year in a row due to his unvaccinated stance against COVID-19. In March, Alcaraz won his maiden BNP Paribas Open title, while Djokovic withdrew from the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he faced a third-round exit.

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Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz could meet in Italian Open 2023 final

2022 Madrid Open

If No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic and No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz keep winning their respective matches at the 2023 Italian Open, they will face each other in the final on May 21. Djokovic is the top seed and a six-time champion, but he will need to overcome tough opponents like Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Andy Murray to reach the final.

Alcaraz, on the other hand, is playing in Rome for the first time and will have to beat players like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Frances Tiafoe, Lorenzo Musetti, Daniil Medvedev, and Andrey Rublev to reach the title clash.