Novak Djokovic shields Carlos Alcaraz from criticism using Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer examples after Spaniard's Madrid withdrawal

Novak Djokovic defended Carlos Alcaraz from criticism using his biggest rivals, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, as examples, following the young Spaniard's withdrawal at the 2025 Madrid Masters. Alcaraz was slated to compete at the event, but had to pull out due to struggles in his right adductor muscle and left hamstring.

Alcaraz had the near-perfect start to his campaign at the European clay swing, winning the Monte-Carlo Masters and reaching the final of the Barcelona Open. However, during his final, he seemingly suffered the aforementioned injuries, which made him decide that competing at the Madrid Masters wasn't the best move for him.

The Spaniard's inconsistency and injury-prone nature sparked concerns and criticism from tennis fans. However, Novak Djokovic, during a press conference at the Madrid Open, jumped to his defense, citing the examples of his biggest rivals, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, and explaining how a player needs time to enter their prime.

"Yes, there was domination. Obviously, from Rafa on clay, Roger on grass, me on hardcourts, but that also came, for me personally, I guess that level of dominant tennis and achievements when I was 23-24 years old, and after that. So, between 23-33 is when it was really happening."

He then explained how Alcaraz has already achieved unimaginable feats for his age and boldly stated that the Spaniard is here to stay.

"Alcaraz is still not 23, so we have to remember that his age and what he has done for his age is not normal, and I'm sure that we'll see a lot of him on the big stage with trophies in the future, whatever, 10 years, 15 years, as long as he is playing."

Djokovic then shifted the discussion in another direction to talk about the effects of the shift in generations.

"People need time to accept that Federer, Nadal, and Murray aren't playing anymore... I'm still trying to represent the older generation" - Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic at the 2025 Laureus World Sport Awards - Source: Getty

Continuing his thoughts, Novak Djokovic said that though the Big 4 of him, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray may have dominated the previous generation of tennis, their retirements have brought a shift in tennis, with many young talents, such as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, trying to step into their shoes.

"I mean, the competition is always there, every generation has its different competition, it's hard to compare eras. The last 20 years was dominated mostly by the four of us, and obviously, when the three of my biggest rivals retired, you can feel there is a shift, not only in terms of the generations of players that are coming now all of a sudden, the main focus and attention is on them.

However, on a lighter note, he said he was doing his best to keep his generation in the mix.

"People need time to accept that Roger, Rafa, and Murray aren't playing anymore - and perhaps one day, myself. But I'm still trying to represent the older generation."

Coming to the Madrid Open, Novak Djokovic, seeded fourth, will kick off his campaign against Italy's Matteo Arnaldi, in what will be the maiden meeting between the two men.