WATCH: Novak Djokovic impresses himself with his return winner against Carlos Alcaraz at Riyadh Season Tennis Cup in Saudi Arabia

Novak Djokovic managed to impress himself by executing a spectacular return winner against Carlos Alcaraz at the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup in Saudi Arabia.

Djokovic and Alcaraz have resumed their rivalry ahead of the 2024 season. The pair took the court in the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Wednesday, December 27, for a blockbuster exhibition match.

The Spaniard started strong, breaking the 24-time Grand Slam champion in his opening service game. In his own service game that followed, Carlos Alcaraz saved two break points to establish a 2-0 lead.

Novak Djokovic raised his level soon after. He won his second service game to put himself on the scoreboard.

In the fourth game of the opener, Alcaraz served for a 3-1 lead but the World No. 1 had other plans. Dominating from the baseline, he gave himself two breakpoint opportunities (15-40) to level the score.

The Serb got it done in his first attempt itself, with a magnificent cross-court return winner against the World No. 2’s serve out wide.

Novak Djokovic, arguably the best returner in the history of tennis, couldn’t hide his amazement at the accuracy of the shot. The Serb made a “too hot to handle” gesture to show his surprise.

Watch the video below:

The World No. 1 and No. 2 held on to their next few service games but Djokovic broke in the decisive 10th game to snatch the opening set. Carlos Alcaraz then returned the favor by coming out on top in the next two sets, winning the match 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

---

"Our generation is coming to an end, but the emergence of Carlos Alcaraz is great" - Novak Djokovic

The Spaniard (L) and the Serb (R) pictured at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic have faced each other five times in their careers, with four of their clashes coming in 2023.

While the 20-year-old won their first meeting in the semifinals of the 2022 Madrid Open, it was the Serb who prevailed in three of their next four matches.

Djokovic won the 2023 French Open semifinal, the Cincinnati Open final and the semifinal of the ATP Finals. Alcaraz, however, emerged victorious in arguably their most significant meeting of 2023 – the title clash at Wimbledon. In doing so, he collected the second Grand Slam title of his career.

Ahead of their exhibition match in Riyadh, Novak Djokovic lavished praise on Carlos Alcaraz and confidently stated that the Spaniard was poised to be the tour leader for the next decade and a half.

"It’s good that there’s a great new rivalry in tennis. He’s going to lead for the next 10 or 15 years," the Serb said during an interview in Riyadh (via Marca).

He further claimed that, with the Big 3 dominance dwindling, the 20-year-old taking center stage "is great":

"Rafa didn’t play in 2023, Federer retired... Our generation is coming to an end, but the emergence of [Carlos] is great."