"Whether Novak Djokovic is there or not doesn't affect me" - Carlos Alcaraz sends bold message ahead of Qatar Open charge

Carlos Alcaraz made an honest admission about Novak Djokovic making a comeback to the professional stage after suffering an injury during this year's Australian Open. They both will be playing at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, starting from February 17, 2025.

The 21-year-old candidly spoke to Spanish media outlet Sport about how he feels about Djokovic's presence at the tournament. Alcaraz did not shy away from clearly stating that it doesn't make any difference to his game or mindset.

"It doesn't change. It's the same tournament. There are great players in every tournament. Whether Djokovic is there or not doesn't really affect me at all," he said. (translated from Spanish)

The last time the duo clashed was in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Australian Open. The Serb showed signs of his hamstring injury as he struggled to play in the first set of the game. However, after getting some treatment during the medical timeout, he made a stellar recovery and won the match against the Spaniard.

Carlos Alcaraz weighed in on how different this tournament is than a grand slam, while also talking about Djokovic's injury.

"He [Djokovic] also has to see how he is after the injury, although he has been seen training very well. We'll see how the tournament goes, but in the end a Grand Slam is different to a 500-category tournament like this one," tje dadded. (translated from Spanish)

The young gun approaches this tournament with confidence after his triumph in Rotterdam 2025.

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Carlos Alcaraz: "No. 1 is always a goal"

Carlos Alcaraz in action at the ABN AMRO Open (Image Source: Getty)

Carlos Alcaraz has his tone set for the 2025 season and has bluntly shared that he is focused on working on himself to get to the top of the global rankings. He recently spoke to the media outlet Sport and added insights on being focused and pushing himself on the way forward.

"We focus on ourselves and on trying to do the things we have in mind," he said.

"Number one is always a goal. We try to improve in our field and focus on continuing to work to reach number one," he added. (translated from Spanish)

The Spanish tennis star is the top seed of the Qatar Open 2025 and will be taking on Marin Cilic in his first-round match-up tomorrow.