"Carlos Alcaraz has courage to face Novak Djokovic without fear" - Feliciano Lopez gives 'credit' to Spaniard despite recent dip in form

Feliciano Lopez recently gave 'credit' to compatriot Carlos Alcaraz despite the young Spaniard's recent slump in form. He also highlighted the 20-year-old's performance against Novak Djokovic to back up his claim.

Alcaraz had a career-best season in 2023, winning six titles, including a Grand Slam at Wimbledon. He secured two Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Madrid, as well as two ATP 500 tournaments in Barcelona and Queen's Club. He also added an ATP 250 title under his belt in Buenos Aires.

However, the Spaniard's form took a dip following Wimbledon, as he failed to win any more tournaments and capped off the season with a semifinal finish at the ATP Finals.

Former World No. 12 Feliciano Lopez addressed Carlos Alcaraz's dip in form in an interview with AS. He said that it is because the 20-year-old plays every tournament at an 'enormously demanding level' and takes stress a lot more than the other players on the tour.

"The thing is that he plays every week at an enormously demanding level. When you aspire to be in the finals or win the tournaments, it is different and much more stressful than it can be for most. His comment is the result of learning. He’s only 20 years old, sometimes we forget that," Lopez said.

The former Wimbledon quarterfinalist then said that Alcaraz 'cannot achieve great results' in a 'diesel' mode like World No. 1 Novak Djokovic:

"Furthermore, he plays with a lot of intensity, he needs to be fresh, have spark. He cannot achieve great results in a more diesel mode, like Djokovic, who sometimes starts matches at a slow pace, until he finds his moment and is already invincible."

Lopez still gave 'credit' to Carlos Alcaraz, saying the young Spaniard has the 'courage' to face Djokovic, who many consider to be the best player in history, 'without fear.'

"Carlos still does not have a database large enough to say, ‘here yes, here no, I’ll get ready here, I’ll leave this’. It’s very complicated. And everything that is happening to him, what he is experiencing so soon… it is a tsunami that comes into your life at 20 years old and it is difficult to manage it," he said.

"That’s why I give so much credit to what he’s doing. Because he doesn’t scare him, he has enough maturity to assimilate it, the courage to face Djokovic, who is the best player, for many, in history, without fear," he added.

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Carlos Alcaraz to play an exhibition match with Novak Djokovic in Saudi Arabia

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz pictured at the 2023 ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz will play an exhibition match against Novak Djokovic in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before beginning his 2024 season at the Australian Open. The match will be held on December 27 as part of the country's annual sporting bonanza.

Aside from the Djokovic-Alcaraz clash, World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka and World No. 6 Ons Jabeur will compete in the same tennis event, named the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup. They will face off on December 26.