Novak Djokovic returns this week to competitive action for the first time since mid-September at the Rolex Paris Masters. The Serbian found a familiar face to practise with as he prepares to chase a record-extending seventh title at the indoor ATP Masters 1000.
The top-seeded Djokovic hit with his rival for the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone, Carlos Alcaraz, on Sunday in Paris-Bercy. The Serbian leads Alcaraz by 500 points in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, which serves as a barometer for the year-end World No. 1 battle.
Djokovic will not have needed a reminder of the threat posed by Alcaraz and the ATP Tour’s newest generation of stars upon arriving in the French capital. A year ago, the Serbian fell to Holger Rune in a thrilling final in Bercy. It is the sort of memory that Djokovic uses to drive himself onwards as he pursues further success at the age of 36.
“They are hungry, dynamic, they’re energetic, they want to win the biggest tournaments in the world, they want to beat you on the big stage,” said Djokovic of the new generations of talent breaking through. “I know they are doing everything they can to improve and to figure out the way how to win against you.
“So I have to do the same or even more. I learned [this year] that that’s going to give you the results at the end of the day.”
Credit: ATP Tour
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