"Novak Djokovic arguably is still the best player in the world" - Andy Murray claims Serb’s absence in 2022 influenced rise of young players like Carlos Alcaraz

Andy Murray recently spoke about Novak Djokovic’s unusual year and the rise of Carlos Alcaraz.

The Brit suggested that although Carlos Alcaraz has had a special season, Novak Djokovic not being allowed to participate in important tournaments played a part in a few of the results. Murray further claimed that the 21-time Grand Slam champion is still the best player in the world.

"I think what Alcaraz has done this year has been special. I think also, what's happened in the last few years - and yes, there is always going to be a time when a generation passes or comes to the end of their career - but some of the results have been aided by Novak not being able to play in Australia this year. He didn't play at the US Open either and arguably is still the best player in the world. And I think that has also influenced some of the results a little bit,” he said in an interview with Eurosport.

Despite being banned from numerous events, Novak Djokovic managed to add four more titles to his repertoire in Rome, Tel-Aviv, Astana, and at Wimbledon.

Three-time Slam champion Murray also noted that the likes of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who are in their mid-30s, are playing at selected events, paving the way for Next-Gen.

"The best guys are getting older and are playing much less. They're not competing in all of the tournaments and it's giving opportunities now for all of the other players,” he noted, "The generation that's like 25 to 28 years old, they were still competing against Novak, Roger [Federer] and Rafa when they were in their early 20s. That's not happened so much with the younger generation and they're taking advantage of it and playing great tennis.”

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“This is what should be happening” – Andy Murray on Carlos Alcaraz and others taking over from veterans like Novak Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at the Madrid Open

While the season was influenced by Novak Djokovic’s absence and Rafael Nadal’s injuries, Andy Murray still, however, believed that the passing of the torch to young players like Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime was ideal.

"Like I said, for me, Alcaraz has had an incredible year. I think Tsitsipas has done extremely well, Felix is potentially going to win three weeks in a row and is starting to make a big push as well. This is - to me - what should be happening. This is normal now, what's happening," Murray remarked in the interview conducted right before Auger-Aliassime’s hattrick win.

Carlos Alcaraz has collected five titles so far in 2022, including the US Open, two Masters 1000s in Miami and Madrid, and two ATP 500s in Rio and Barcelona. Felix Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, lifted his maiden ATP title earlier this year in Rotterdam and backed it up with three more titles in recent weeks in Florence, Antwerp and Basel. Stefanos Tsitsipas featured in seven finals and won two events, including a Masters 1000 at the Monte Carlo Masters and an ATP 250 in Mallorca.

Also Check Out: Carlos Alcaraz Net Worth