Novak Djokovic drops bombshell claim on Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner French Open final: ‘Didn't want to watch. But…'
Carlos Alcaraz's victory over Jannik Sinner in the French Open 2025 final is one that will go down as legend in the tennis history books — but their titanic contest was almost missed by one of the greatest tennis players of all time, as Novak Djokovic revealed that he had no intention of tuning in for the first grand slam final between the two players seen as his successors at the top of the sport. Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz had a training session together on Centre Court as they eye up adding more historic Wimbledon silverware to their tallies.(AP)
However, Djokovic did tune in to watch Alcaraz's historic come-from-behind victory in which he saved three match points before winning a phenomenal final-set tiebreaker. Speaking to Wimbledon's social media channels while practicing against the Spaniard on Centre Court, Djokovic recited the tale of how his son Stefan and wife Jelena were more interested in the match than he was, leaving Alcaraz smiling with joy.
'To be quite honest with you, I was in my country with my family. My son and my wife wanted to watch the finals badly. I said I didn't want to watch the finals, I got enough of tennis,' explained Djokovic. The Serb former world number one had been easily beaten by Sinner in the semifinal round just days prior. Djokovic full of praise for Sinner and Alcaraz showcase
'The first part of the match, we spent outside, had lunch. They were very anxious to get back home so they can turn on the TV when the guys were playing. We came back and I was like I don't know if I want to watch,' explained the men's grand slam record holder. However, once he had gotten a sniff of the quality on show between these two remarkable athletes, he was hooked on to watch.
'But the match was so captivating that of course we ended up watching for another few hours. They played almost 6 hours, it's incredible,' said the 38-year-old. 'Incredible match, I gave huge credit to both of them for producing this battle for not just the tennis world but the sports world to enjoy. It was just one of the most historic matches that we had.'
Sinner and Alcaraz, now the number one and two in the world, will be the favourites heading into Wimbledon, where the Spaniard is gunning for a hat-trick of titles. However, seven-time champion Djokovic will be fancying his chances to push the two younger stars, having reached the final each of the last two years and hungry for a record-setting 25th grand slam title. His campaign begins with a first round match against Frenchman Alexandre Muller.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
28 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Wimbledon 2025: Draper ready to fill Murray's shoes as home hope
Jack Draper insists he can cope with the pressure of replacing Andy Murray as Britain's leading contender to win Wimbledon 2025. Murray ended the 77-year wait for a British winner of the Wimbledon men's singles title when he beat Novak Djokovic in the 2013 final. The Scot won Wimbledon again three years later during an iconic career that included three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals and a spell as world number one. Murray retired following the 2024 Paris Olympics, but British world number four Draper has already emerged as a worthy successor to the 38-year-old. READ | Djokovic feels Wimbledon is his best chance of winning record-breaking 25th Grand Slam Now, Draper knows he has to prove he can handle the expectations of the British sporting public at his home Grand Slam. 'Yeah, for sure. I think obviously when Andy retired, they said I was the next in line for that,' Draper told reporters at the All England Club on Saturday. 'Obviously Andy has done an unbelievable job. He's been incredibly successful and has become adored by the nation. It's obviously big shoes to fill. I'm aware of that. 'At the same time I'm confident in myself that hopefully I can inspire people like Andy has done. 'I'll keep trying to show my best tennis out there, to hopefully present myself as the player and the person I want to be.' Murray has been a useful resource for Draper since the 23-year-old burst onto the scene with a run to the US Open last 16 in 2023. And Draper won't be shy about asking Murray for advice on how to deal with the Wimbledon spotlight. Mentor Murray 'Obviously, Andy has given me an amazing amount of feedback and advice over the years. I think one of the biggest things is everyone is on their different journey,' Draper said. 'I know Andy's right there for me if I need him any time. There may come a point where I ask him a few things, and I'm sure he'll come back and be extremely helpful and supportive, as always.' Draper, who start his Wimbledon campaign against Argentina's Sebastian Baez on Tuesday, has never been past the second round in his three Wimbledon appearances. ALSO READ | Wimbledon 2025, men's draw This year's draw poses a host of threats to the Londoner's dreams of emulating Murray's Wimbledon success. Draper is scheduled to face former Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic in the second round and Alexander Bublik, who beat him in the recent French Open, in the third round. The draw seeds Draper to meet seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic in the last eight, world number Jannik Sinner in the semifinals and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final. 'I haven't looked at that at all. I look at my first round. I respect every person in the draw,' he said. 'Obviously you guys have asked me a lot about the pressure and all that sort of stuff. I'm not thinking about that at all.' Draper's victory at Indian Wells in March was his first ATP Masters 1000 title, building on his maiden Grand Slam semifinal appearance at last year's US Open. After a rocky spell when he struggled to adapt to the gruelling demands of the ATP Tour, Draper now feels comfortable on and off the court. 'I think maturity, taking responsibility for my actions. When I was younger, it's tough. My friends went to university. I suppose they had an extended period of their childhood or their time to have fun,' he said. 'Sometimes you want to just take a break, but you can't in a sport like tennis. I would say that's the most challenging thing about being on the tour. 'For me it was a process and was definitely something I really struggled with at first. I suppose just growing up.'
The Hindu
29 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Confident Fritz heads to Wimbledon after fourth title at Eastbourne International
Taylor Fritz said he is heading to Wimbledon in confident mood after storming to a record-extending fourth title at the Eastbourne Open on Saturday. The world number five proved too good for fellow American Jenson Brooksby, who had progressed to the final as a lucky loser after defeat in qualifying, with a 7-5, 6-1 victory in the Wimbledon warm-up event at Devonshire Park. Fritz also won on the grass in Stuttgart earlier this month and now has five ATP titles on the surface, which is only bettered by Novak Djokovic among active players. 'I'll go there, get a nice practice in tomorrow and go for it,' said Fritz, who is due to play Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round at Wimbledon on Monday. READ | Mallorca Open 2025: Griekspoor beats Moutet in final to secure title with Wimbledon looming 'I'd much rather be going into the tournament with a title and confidence than a week of rest and just practice.' Fritz has made the event on England's south coast his own in recent years, also lifting the trophy in 2019, 2022 and 2024. After needing three third-set victories to reach the final once again this week, Fritz had to come from a break down in the first set before imposing his dominance over the world number 149 in the second. 'I got better and better with each match and felt like I really upped my level in this match,' added Fritz.
Hindustan Times
41 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
England T20I: Smriti's majestic ton powers India to big win
Chandigarh: T20Is isn't really the Indian women's forte but Nottingham celebrated a Super Saturday as they started their five-match series with a thumping 97-run win over England at Trent Bridge. India's Smriti Mandhana on way to scoring a 62-ball 112 in the first T20I against England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Saturday. (AP) Smriti Mandhana set up brilliantly with a fluent century, becoming the only Indian player with a century in each format – Tests, ODIs and now T20s. She led from the front in some style after skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was rested as a precaution after suffering a head injury during a warm-up match against an ECB eleven. She was on the balcony cheering as Mandhana stroked a boundary to reach a 51-ball century. The left-handed opener took charge and made full-use of a good pitch to hit a 62-ball 112, (16x4, 3x6). It took India to a huge 210/5 and the hosts never recovered from early setbacks to be dismissed for 113 in 14.5 overs. The Indian innings also saw valuable contributions from No. 3 Harleen Deol (43 off 23) after Shafali Verma (20 - 22 b), on a comeback, raised 77 runs for the first wicket with Mandhana. Mandhana played shots all around the wicket and none of the England bowlers had any impact on her until she was caught in the final over. With Mandhana having set it up, it was the turn of Indian spinners to pile on the home team's misery. It looked as if the hosts were taken by surprise. Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt's 66 off 42 balls provided some resistance, but England were never in the chase. Left-arm spinner Shree Charani had a memorable outing, scalping four for 12 on T20I debut as England surrendered meekly. The 20-year-old from Andhra Pradesh has played five ODIs. The Indian bowlers were impressive, sticking to their task. Spinners Radha Yadav and Deepti Sharma took two wickets each, after seamer Amanjot Kaur had opener Sophia Dunkley caught behind chasing a wide ball. Mandhana had hit 30 T20I fifties before finally converting it to triple figures. 'It has taken a long time to get it, I had this habit of getting out in the 70s, 80s. We were talking before this tour that it is high time I got a century,' she said after the match. 'We had a good preparation, and these wickets are really good to bat on. We kept the wind factor in mind, just had to time the ball. Harleen got the momentum going after Shafali's wicket.' On India's bowling, she said: 'We discussed after the first innings if we are bowling against the wind, we have to bowl slower. The bowlers, the way they executed the plans was outstanding. We have four more matches, so we need to keep the momentum going.' Brief scores: India 210/5 (Smriti Mandhana 112, Harleen Deol 43, Lauren Bell 3/27); England 113 in 14.5 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 66, Shree Charani 4/12, Deepti Sharma 2/32, Radha Yadav 2/15). India won by 97 runs
