Novak Djokovic: "The generation of Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner is very strong"

With his chances of making the semifinals of the 2023 ATP Finals hanging by a thread, Novak Djokovic put emphasis on the strong field, which includes Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune.

Djokovic defeated Hubert Hurkacz in his final round-robin match at the year-end championship. However, much to the Serb’s dismay, he was unable to close out the match in straight sets. His 7-6,(1), 4-6, 6-1 win thus means that his semifinal qualification now depends on the outcome of the upcoming match between Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune.

Following his win over Hurkacz, the 24-time Grand Slam champion highlighted the intensity of the field at the tournament which includes the three youngest qualifiers, Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner.

"The field is strong. I mean, the generation of Alcaraz, Rune, Sinner is very strong," Novak Djokovic said in his post-match press conference.

Incidentally, the last three of Djokovic’s only six losses from 2023 have come against the trio. Holger Rune earned his second win over the Serb in the quarterfinal of the Rome Masters. Carlos Alcaraz similarly took his second scalp in the Wimbledon title clash. Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner scored his maiden win over the World No. 1 at the ongoing ATP Finals on Tuesday, November 14.

"It's probably the three players that will carry this sport in the future but also in the present because they are right at the top of the game, all of them," the 36-year-old said about the three.

"Of course, it's expected for young players to be hungry, to be motivated, and to constantly look for ways to improve, get stronger, faster, better, so they can beat the players, best players in the world, and clinch some, yeah, biggest trophies in the game," he added.

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"I don't know what Jannik Sinner is thinking about" – Novak Djokovic on Italian's ATP Finals clash against Holger Rune

The 2023 ATP Finals lineup

Novak Djokovic was drawn into the Green Group alongside Jannik Sinner, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune at the 2023 ATP Finals.

The Serb kicked off his campaign with a hard-fought victory against Rune, 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 6-3. He was then handed a defeat by Sinner, 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) before his three-setter victory over Hubert Hurkacz, who replaced an injured Tsitsipas mid-way through the tournament.

Sinner, meanwhile, has won both his encounters against Djokovic and Tsitsipas. Holger Rune, on the other hand, has registered one loss – against the Serb, and one win (victory over Tsitsipas after the Greek's retirement).

Owing to the results, Jannik Sinner has now booked his spot in the semifinals.

The Green group’s last remaining semifinal spot will now be awarded either to Novak Djokovic or to Holger Rune depending on the outcome of the Dane’s match against Sinner. If the 20-year-old emerges victorious against the Italian, he will end the Serb’s ATP Finals campaign and confirm his place in the final four.

Djokovic shared his thoughts on the consequential match in his ATP Finals press conference.

"What kind of battle do I expect tonight? I don't know. I don't know what Jannik is thinking about. Obviously knowing he has qualified even before he enters the court, I think it's a big relief. Knowing him, he's going to try to win every match that he plays. He's playing great. Rune, on the other hand, is playing great, too," he said about the upcoming Thursday thriller.

"They are big rivals. I think that's the kind of rivalries we're going to see in the future. I'm sure they don't want to lose against each other in any event, particularly this big," he added.