"I'm still a little sad, it's harder for Novak Djokovic" - Coach Goran Ivanisevic on Serb's Wimbledon final loss to Carlos Alcaraz

Novak Djokovic's coach Goran Ivanisevic is still sad about his protege's loss at the hands of Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the 2023 Wimbledon championships. And he believes that emotion is also mirrored, only several times stronger, in the Serb.

Chasing a record-equaling eighth men's singles title and his fifth on the trot at SW19, Djokovic fell to Alcaraz in a thrilling five-set encounter that lasted nearly as many hours. With the win, the Spaniard bagged his second Grand Slam title as well as his maiden trophy at the grasscourt Major.

Touching on the loss during his recent appearance on Croatia's Dnevnik Nova TV, Ivanisevic, a former Wimbledon winner himself, admitted that he and Djokovic are yet to get over the defeat. At the same time, he also congratulated Alcaraz for taking his chances against the 23-time Grand Slam champion and coming out on top at such a big stage.

"I'm still a little sad, but it's harder for Novak [Djokovic] because he was on the court... But kudos to Carlos, he showed the world what kind of tennis player he is. A five-set match that went in his favor, but Novak took the chances you have to in such a final," Ivanisevic said.

Echoing Novak Djokovic's remarks on Alcaraz after the loss, where he said he saw shades of himself, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the youngster, Ivanisevic hailed the World No. 1 as a great player with an incredible future ahead of him.

"He is a mixture of all three and he has an incredible future ahead of him," the Croat said. "If he continues like this, he has an incredible future ahead of him. He does it all with a smile, and we have the opportunity to watch him in the last three editions of this tournament."

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Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will still play a lot of finals: Goran Ivanisevic

Day Fourteen: The Championships - Wimbledon 2023

Goran Ivanisevic further said during the interview that despite their large age difference, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will play a lot of finals against each other in the future. The former World No. 2 also opined that there could be an interesting tennis era ahead, centered around the duo's rivalry.

"Now everyone is expecting a new rivalry between Alcaraz and Novak. Although the age difference is big, they will still play a lot of finals. We have an interesting tennis era ahead of us," Ivanisevic said.

Following his Wimbledon exit, Novak Djokovic was set to kickstart his North American hardcourt swing at the Canadian Open. However, he withdrew from the tournament citing fatigue.

Alcaraz, on the other hand, is expected to play the ATP 1000 event in the lead-up to his title defence at the upcoming US Open.