Carlos Alcaraz opens up on his relationship with Novak Djokovic as he makes ‘no friends’ admission

The four-time Grand Slam champion declared, though, that there are “no friends” on the tennis tour once players take to the court to compete.

Alcaraz and Djokovic have faced off seven times so far in a fascinating intergenerational rivalry, with all of their encounters coming in finals or semi-finals at big tournaments.

Djokovic holds a 4-3 advantage after winning the pair’s most recent clash in the gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics at the start of August. The duo could meet in the final at the US Open as they are on opposite sides of the draw.

Alcaraz defeated world No 186 Li Tu 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the opening round of the New York Grand Slam to set up a second round match against 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp. Djokovic downed world No 138 Radu Albot 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 in his first match.

Speaking after his first round win against the Australian qualifier, Alcaraz spoke about his rivalry and relationship with Djokovic.

Well, obviously we have a good rivalry,” the world No 3 said. “Every time that we step on the court, we played really high tennis. Every time that we faced against each other, it has been a really good and intense match.

“But, yeah, we have a really good friendship off the court. We talk a lot in the lockers every time that we see each other around. With his team as well.

“Once we step on the court, there are no friends here on tour, but after that, after the court, I have a really good relationship with a lot of players, and one of them is Novak.”

The 21-year-old Spaniard also outlined the need to raise his level as he assessed his performance against Tu.

“Well, first of all, I’m really happy to get through and get a chance to be better the next round,” Alcaraz reflected. “Obviously, I felt well on court. I think I hit the ball well. I moved well.

“A few things that I have to improve if I want to, you know, keep going in the draw, but obviously I have to give credit to him as well that he played really good tennis and today surprised me a little bit in the second set. After that, really I leave the court happy with my performance.”