Carlos Alcaraz hopes to meet Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open final

World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz recently stated that he hopes to meet Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open final.

After beginning an injury-plagued season with the Buenos Aires title, Alcaraz has won back-to-back claycourt titles in Barcelona and Madrid. He is poised to leapfrog Djokovic to the top of the rankings following the ongoing Italian Open. Also, the ATP 1000 tournament will mark the first time in 2023 that the two best men’s players in the world have entered the same event.

Carlos Alcaraz, who is set to make his debut in the Italian capital, attended a press conference prior to the start of his campaign. He stated that having the Serb in the same tournament is always "great" and that he hopes to meet him in the final.

"Well, of course, being in the same tournament that Novak is, [it's] great, having him here and learning from him. It's always good having the best tennis players in the world in the tournament, it's great. I hope to meet him in the final," Alcaraz said.

He added:

"Yeah, I always say that as a tennis fan, I always want to see the best players in the world, to watch them, learn from them, 'cause you have to learn from everyone. Yeah, it's great to share the tournament."

---

Carlos Alcaraz will face compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas in his opener

Carlos Alcaraz pictured at the Internazionali BNL D'Italia 2023

Carlos Alcaraz will begin his Italian Open campaign in the second round against compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Interestingly, Ramos-Vinolas is the player Alcaraz defeated to win his first ATP tournament, in Rio in 2020.

When asked about the Rio Open match, the 20-year-old said it felt good to win against his countryman, adding:

"Well, yeah, it was a really good match for me, my first ATP win against him. But, yeah, that was a long time ago. I think it was a long time ago. But, yeah, after that I played I think a few times more. It was really tough."

Carlos Alcaraz also discussed his upcoming match against Ramos-Vinolas, saying that he will enjoy his first match at the ATP 1000 tournament.

"I would say it's a good first round for me. I have to play well to get through. Let's see. I'm going to enjoy my first match here. Obviously, here, it's such a nice play to be, to play, to enjoy Italian fans. It's always great to play in front," the Murcia native added.