Expert: "Alcaraz will surpass Djokovic at the 2024 Australian Open"

At present, whenever Grand Slam tournaments start, experts and fans of the global tennis world will mention the two names Novak Djokovic (Serbia) and Carlos Alcaraz (Spain). They are the two best tennis players in the world and are leading the ATP rankings.

This year alone, former VTF General Secretary Doan Thanh Tung predicted that Carlos Alcaraz will defeat Novak Djokovic.

Former General Secretary of VTF Doan Thanh Tung (standing, Photo: QV).

Carlos Alcaraz's golden moment

How do you rate the Australian Open 2024 starting today (January 14), especially the winning ability of the two top players Djokovic and Alcaraz?

- They are both top tennis players in the world at the moment. Their reputation, form and level are all at a very high level. However, if we were to compare the two at the present time, specifically with this year's Australian Open, I would lean towards Carlos Alcaraz.

I rate Alcaraz higher because he has an advantage over Djokovic in terms of age. Age will be a big obstacle for Djokovic (Djokovic turns 37 this year). Certainly at his current age, Djokovic cannot be as flexible as before, while Alcaraz has youthful energy.

Alcaraz and Djokovic are set to face off at the 2024 Australian Open (Photo: Getty).

Specifically, what will the age limit be, sir?

- In tennis, the golden age of athletes is usually between 25 and 29 years old. The cases of Djokvic, Rafael Nadal (Spain) or Roger Federer (Switzerland) are exceptions, the later they are in their 30s, the better they play.

However, everyone reaches their limit. At Djokovic’s age, the burden of time becomes more apparent every year, every year after that. In this respect, tennis is quite similar to football, with athletes of Djokovic’s age facing huge obstacles in the recovery process.

As for Alcaraz, is there any clear improvement from the Spanish player compared to before that makes his opponents afraid?

- He has improved in terms of character. Carlos Alcaraz is still very young (he turns 21 this year), so in the past the Spaniard had some psychological problems due to his lack of experience. However, in theory, as time goes on, Alcaraz's character will increase.

Alcaraz has improved in terms of character compared to his previous self (Photo: Getty).

His playing experience is also better than before. Previously, Alcaraz's mentality was not considered as good as Nole's. But now, things seem to be turning for the better for Alcaraz.

In addition, in theory, the more tournaments Alcaraz plays and the more major titles he wins, the more his skills improve. Major titles help Alcaraz gain more confidence (the Spaniard won the 2022 US Open and 2023 Wimbledon).

There are hardly any earth-shattering surprises.

Are there any special features in Australia that can affect tennis players and their success, sir?

- I think the weather is a very important factor that can greatly affect the results of the tennis players participating in the Australian Open.

The weather is conducive to Alcaraz's youth (Photo: Getty).

On the contrary, the weather was Djokovic's disadvantage (Photo: Getty).

At the moment, Australia is in summer, the weather is extremely hot, extremely uncomfortable. With this type of weather, athletes of Djokovic's age will be greatly affected, especially affecting the ability to recover.

On the contrary, young athletes like Alcaraz will have an advantage because they recover faster. This is also one of the points that makes me rate Alcaraz as having an advantage over Djokovic in this year's tournament.

What about the court surface, is there any difference between the court surface at the Australian Open and the court surface at Roland Garros or Wimbledon?

- There is a big difference. At the Australian Open, players compete on a hard court. The speed and bounce of the ball on this court are higher than on other courts.

The hard court at the Australian Open was no match for Djokovic and Alcaraz (Photo: Getty).

However, in my opinion, the difference in court surface is not a big problem for the players, especially for the two top players Djokovic and Alcaraz, who both have a knack for playing on this surface.

In general, both Alcaraz and Nole have very comprehensive techniques, they do not worry about the surface. The difference between the two at the moment is only age, flexibility and endurance.

And will there be any surprises from the remaining group of players this year, such as someone eliminating Djokovic or Alcaraz early?

Alcaraz is the number one candidate for the championship title (Photo: Getty).

- It's hard to say, surprise is an unpredictable factor. First, I think surprise is unlikely to happen, but in sports in general, tennis in particular, nothing is impossible.

However, the main surprise will come from the performance of the players in the top group. Specifically, if a player can overthrow Djokovic and Alcaraz, it will probably be mainly because the two world-class stars mentioned above did not perform at their best, suddenly lost form at some point and were defeated.

If both Djokovic and Alcaraz are in good form, I expect an exciting final between the two. As I said, I think Alcaraz is the better player and this is the time for Alcaraz to surpass Djokovic.

Thank you for the conversation!

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/chuyen-gia-alcaraz-se-vuot-qua-djokovic-o-australian-open-2024-20240113173122087.htm