Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are now just three wins each away from meeting in the final of the 2023 US Open, as the duo have both reached the second week of the tournament.
While Alcaraz needed just four sets to dispose Dan Evans in his third-round clash in New York on Saturday, the Serb went the distance on Friday. After losing the first two sets unexpectedly, Djokovic mounted an incredible comeback win to oust Laslo Djere 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 in front of a roaring Arthur Ashe crowd.
Speaking to the press after his 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win over Evans, Alcaraz stated that he watched only the first two sets of Djokovic's clash before going to bed. However, he knew even then that the 23-time Grand Slam champion would overturn the deficit, having seen him come from behind to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat so often in the past.
The World No. 1 marveled at how Djokovic, now 36 years old, was still doing the same things he was doing when he was 20 years old, calling his tenacity "incredible" and admiring him every bit for that.
"I watched the first two sets, then I had to go to sleep. But, you know, when I go to bed, I was thinking Novak is going to come back, that's for sure. He shows once again that he's one of the best in history. Just he has come back from two sets to love down, I think I saw, like, six, seven times. So it's something crazy," Carlos Alcaraz said.
"Stay 36 years old and doing the same things as when he was 20, it's incredible. We have to give credit about that, and it's something I admire," he added.
Up next, Novak Djokovic will take on Borna Gojo in the US Open fourth round, while Carlos Alcaraz will lock horns with Matteo Arnaldi.
Carlos Alcaraz then proclaimed that he was feeling rather good about his own game at Flushing Meadows so far, stating that he was feeling "really, really well" on court and that he was "really, really happy" with his level at the moment.
"I think I'm playing a good level. I'm feeling really, really well on court, really comfortable. I always say that I can be better, but right now I'm really, really happy with the level that I'm playing," Carlos Alcaraz said.
The Spaniard is the defending champion at the US Open this year, having beaten Casper Ruud in the final of last year's edition to win his maiden Grand Slam title.
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