Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are gearing up for their ninth meeting in the US Open semi-final.
Alcaraz lost his last meeting with Djokovic, and the Spaniard has only won three of their eight meetings since 2022.
The Serbian has impressed against Alcaraz in recent years, defeating him at the Olympics and the Australian Open, and Alcaraz is yet to beat Djokovic on hard court.
Djokovic’s first win against Alcaraz came at the 2022 Roland Garros, where the Serbian made a bold prediction about the Spaniard that has already come true.
Novak Djokovic said Carlos Alcaraz would win Roland Garros ‘many times’
Djokovic’s first victory against Alcaraz at the Roland Garros in 2022 saw the Serbian dispatch the Spaniard in four sets.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion disclosed exactly what he said to Alcaraz at the net after his debut victory.
“I told him at the net. He knows how young he is,” explained Djokovic in his post-match interview on court.
“He’s got plenty of time ahead of him, so he’s going to win this tournament I’m sure many, many times,” continued the Serbian.
Djokovic’s prediction came true instantly, as Alcaraz won the next two Roland Garros titles in 2024 and 2025 to become a multi-time French Open champion.
Carlos Alcaraz is out for ‘revenge’ at the US Open
Djokovic and Holger Rune are the only two players inside the top 20 of the ATP Tour who have positive head-to-head records against Alcaraz, but he still isn’t happy about his record against the Serbian.
Ahead of their meeting in the US Open semi-final, Alcaraz has revealed what’s motivating him against Djokovic.
“I know I played a lot of times against him,” said Alcaraz about his record against Djokovic. “I really want revenge. That’s obvious.”
The two men play the earlier semi-final on September 5, with Jannik Sinner vs Felix Auger Aliassime following the two men.