By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, December 5, 2024
Photo credit: Getty for Mutua Madrid Open Facebook
The formidable pairing of Novak Djokovic and new coach Andy Murray prompts double vision in Carlos Alcaraz.
Reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz met with about eight journalists in a round-table Q&A at the Essex House on Central Park South in New York City on Tuesday—a day before facing Ben Shelton in The Garden Cup at Madison Square Garden.
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A relaxed Alcaraz, clad in beige Nike sweats, was in good spirits, smiled often and covered a wide array of topics during the Q&A that spanned about 13 minutes.
Asked his reaction to the pairing of former world No. 1 superstars Djokovic and Murray, Alcaraz joked his degree of difficulty has now doubled.
“It feels like I’m going to play against them [both],” Alcaraz said with a smile.
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The third-ranked Spaniard, who lost to Djokovic in the Olympic gold-medal match in Paris, said he sees the partnership of Olympic champions as a win-win.
Alcaraz said Murray is “the right coach” for Djokovic and predicts the pairing of two iconic Big 4 champions will be “huge for tennis” and generate global interest in the game as well.
“I think he found the right one. Djokovic found the right coach,” Alcaraz said.
“If Andy agree of being [Novak’s] coach it’s because I think he feels he’s ready to do that job. And seeing them around and knowing that Andy Murray is gonna be a coach, I think is gonna be huge for tennis.
“When I saw it, I was like ‘What’s going on?’ I think it’s great. I think he deserves to be his coach and I think it’s gonna be a great team.”
The 2022 US Open champion Alcaraz is expanding his own coaching team.
Alcaraz has added Samuel Lopez, who coached Pablo Carreno Busta for years, to his coaching team headed by former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Alcaraz spoke on what he hopes Lopez can bring to his team during the round-table interview with the media on Tuesday. More to come on Alcaraz’s coaching team and his relationship with former French Open champion Ferrero.
