"Won’t be a bad final to finish on" - Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz's practice session at Paris Masters catches Greg Rusedski's eye

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz's riveting practice session at the 2023 Paris Masters has caught the eye of former British-Canadian tennis player Greg Rusedski.

Top seed Djokovic leads the upper half of the draw at the ATP Masters 1000 event, which includes players like Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton. The Serb will commence his quest for a record-extending seventh title in Paris against the winner of the match between Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Miomir Kecmanovic.

Alcaraz, meanwhile headlines the bottom half of the draw, featuring the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev. The Spaniard will be on the hunt for his first title since his triumph at Wimbledon, kicking off his campaign against either Roman Safiullin or Alexandre Muller.

Djokovic and Alcaraz will also resume their battle for the year-end World No. 1 ranking at the tournament. The 36-year-old will enter the ATP Masters 1000 event with a 500-point lead over the two-time Grand Slam champion.

Ahead of their respective tournament openers, the duo engaged in an exciting joint practice session. As clips of this session circulated on social media, Greg Rusedski suggested that a title clash between Djokovic and Alcaraz would be an ideal conclusion to the final ATP Masters 1000 event of the year.

"Can’t wait for the last master series of the year. This won’t be a bad final to finish on 💪. Who is learning more about the other guys game in this practice session?" Rusedski posted on X.

How Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz fared at Paris Masters 2022

Carlos Alcaraz and the Serb

Novak Djokovic entered the 2022 Paris Masters as the defending champion, having defeated Daniil Medvedev in the final the previous year. The Serb advanced to the quarterfinals with dominant victories over Maxime Cressy and Karen Khachanov.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion defeated Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets to reach the semifinals. He then claimed a hard-fought win over Stefanos Tsitsipas to set up a blockbuster title clash against Holger Rune.

Despite winning the first set in commanding fashion, the Serb was unable to secure the win as Rune raised his level and clinched his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his 2022 Paris Masters campaign with a straight sets win over Yoshihito Nishioka. Subsequently, he reached the quarterfinals after defeating Grigor Dimitrov.

The Spaniard took on eventual champion Rune for a place in the semifinals. The Dane claimed the opening set 6-3. Although Alcaraz fought valiantly after the setback, he was forced to retire due to an abdominal injury with the second set tied at 6-6.

Given his run to the final last year, Novak Djokovic is defending 600 points at the 2023 Paris Masters. Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, is defending 180 points from his quarterfinals finish.