"36 years old and doing the same things as when he was 20" - Carlos Alcaraz lauds Novak Djokovic for overturning 2-set deficit to reach US Open 4R

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are now just three wins each away from meeting in the final of the 2023 US Open. They have both reached the second week of the tournament by winning their first three matches.

While Alcaraz needed four sets to dispose of Dan Evans in his third-round contest on Saturday, the Serb went the distance on Friday. After losing the first two sets, Djokovic mounted an incredible comeback to oust Laslo Djere 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 in front of a roaring Arthur Ashe crowd.

Speaking to the press after his 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win over Evans, Alcaraz said that he watched only the first two sets of Djokovic's match before going to bed. However, he knew even then that the 23-time Grand Slam champion would overturn the deficit, having seen him come from behind to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat so often in the past.

The World No. 1 marveled at how Djokovic, now 36, is still doing the same things he was doing when he was 20.

"I watched the first two sets; then, I had to go to sleep. But, you know, when I go to bed, I was thinking Novak is going to come back, that's for sure. He shows once again that he's one of the best in history. Just he has come back from two sets to love down, I think I saw, like, six, seven times. So it's something crazy," Carlos Alcaraz said.

"Stay 36 years old and doing the same things as when he was 20, it's incredible. We have to give credit about that, and it's something I admire," he added.

Up next, Novak Djokovic takes on Borna Gojo in the US Open fourth round, while Carlos Alcaraz locks horns with Matteo Arnaldi.

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"I think I'm playing a good level; I'm feeling really, really well on court, really comfortable" - Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz, US Open Tennis

Carlos Alcaraz further proclaimed that he was pleased with his own game at Flushing Meadows so far. He said he was feeling "really, really well" on court and that he was "really, really happy" with his level.

"I think I'm playing a good level. I'm feeling really, really well on court, really comfortable. I always say that I can be better, but right now I'm really, really happy with the level that I'm playing," Alcaraz said.

The Spaniard is the defending champion at the US Open this year. He beat Casper Ruud in the final of last year's edition to win his maiden Grand Slam title.