At present, whenever a Grand Slam tournament starts, experts and fans of the global tennis world will mention the two names Novak Djokovic (Serbia) and Carlos Alcaraz (Spain). They are the two best tennis players in the world and are leading the ATP rankings.
This year alone, former VTF General Secretary Doan Thanh Tung predicted that Carlos Alcaraz will defeat Novak Djokovic.
Former General Secretary of VTF Doan Thanh Tung (standing, Photo: QV).
Carlos Alcaraz's Golden Moment
What do you think about the 2024 Australian Open starting today (January 14), especially the chances of the two top players Djokovic and Alcaraz winning?
- They are both top tennis players in the world at the moment. Their reputation, form and level are all at a very high level. However, if we were to compare the two at the present time, specifically for this year's Australian Open, I would lean towards Carlos Alcaraz.
I rate Alcaraz higher because he has an advantage over Djokovic in terms of age. Age will be a big obstacle for Djokovic (Djokovic turns 37 this year). Surely at his current age, Djokovic cannot be as flexible as before, while Alcaraz has youthful energy.
Alcaraz and Djokovic are set to face off at the 2024 Australian Open (Photo: Getty).
Specifically, what will the age limit be, sir?
- In tennis, the golden age of athletes is usually between 25 and 29 years old. The cases of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal (Spain) or Roger Federer (Switzerland) are exceptions, the later they are in their 30s, the better they play.
However, everyone reaches their limit. At Djokovic’s age, the burden of time becomes more apparent every year, every year after that. In this respect, tennis is quite similar to football, in that athletes of Djokovic’s age will face great obstacles in the recovery process.
As for Alcaraz, what has the Spanish player improved on compared to before that makes his opponents afraid?
- He has improved in terms of character. Carlos Alcaraz is still very young (Alcaraz turns 21 this year), so in the past the Spanish tennis player had psychological problems due to lack of experience. However, in theory, the more time passes, the more character Alcaraz will have.
Alcaraz has improved in terms of character compared to his previous self (Photo: Getty).
His playing experience is also better than before. Previously, Alcaraz's mentality was considered not as good as Nole's. But now, things seem to be turning for the better for Alcaraz.
In addition, in theory, the more tournaments Alcaraz plays and the more major titles he wins, the more his skills improve. Major titles help Alcaraz become more confident (the Spaniard won the 2022 US Open and 2023 Wimbledon).
There is hardly any earth-shattering surprise.
Are there any special features in Australia that can affect tennis players and their success, sir?
- I think the weather is a very important factor that can greatly affect the results of the tennis players participating in the Australian Open.
The weather is conducive to Alcaraz's youthful energy (Photo: Getty).
On the contrary, the weather was Djokovic's disadvantage (Photo: Getty).
At this time, Australia is in summer, the weather is extremely hot, extremely uncomfortable. With this type of weather, athletes of Djokovic's age will be greatly affected, especially affecting their ability to recover.
On the contrary, young athletes like Alcaraz will have an advantage because they recover faster. This is also one of the points that makes me rate Alcaraz as having an advantage over Djokovic in this year's tournament.
What about the court surface, is there any difference between the court surface at the Australian Open and the court surface at Roland Garros (French Open) or Wimbledon (British Open)?
- There is a big difference. At the Australian Open, players compete on a hard court. The speed and bounce of the ball on this court are higher than on other courts.
The hard court at the Australian Open was no match for Djokovic and Alcaraz (Photo: Getty).
However, in my opinion, the difference in court surface is not a big problem for the players, especially for the two top players Djokovic and Alcaraz, who both have a knack for playing on this surface.
In general, both Alcaraz and Nole possess very comprehensive techniques, they do not worry about the court. The only difference between the two at the moment is age, flexibility and endurance.
And will there be any surprises from the remaining players this year, like someone eliminating Djokovic or Alcaraz early?
Alcaraz is the number one candidate for the championship title (Photo: Getty).
- It's hard to say, surprise is an unpredictable factor. First, I think surprise is unlikely to happen, but in sports in general, tennis in particular, nothing is impossible.
However, the main surprise will come from the performance of the players in the top group. Specifically, if a player can overthrow Djokovic and Alcaraz, it will probably be mainly because the two world-class stars mentioned above did not perform at their best, suddenly lost their form at some point and were defeated.
If both Djokovic and Alcaraz are in good form, I expect an exciting final between the two. As I said, I think Alcaraz is the better player and this is the time for Alcaraz to surpass Djokovic.
Thank you for the conversation!
Source
![[Photo] Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chairs Government Conference with localities on economic growth](https://vstatic.vietnam.vn/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/2/21/f34583484f2643a2a2b72168a0d64baa)
Comment (0)