Novak Djokovic likens 'very complete' Holger Rune to world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz after Paris Masters
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Updated 07/11/2022 at 11:57 GMT
Novak Djokovic fell short in the Paris Masters final as he was beaten by rising star Holger Rune. The 19-year-old has enjoyed an incredible finish to the 2022 season and is now up to 10th in the world rankings. Djokovic says Rune shares some qualities with world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and also spoke about his own "high" level and hopes for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
Rune: 'Best feeling of my life, of my whole career' after Paris Masters triumph
Novak Djokovic compared Holger Rune’s physical qualities to world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz after losing to the Dane in the Paris Masters final.
Rune produced a brilliant performance to beat Djokovic in a three-set thriller and win his first Masters title.
The victory sees Rune move up to 10th in the ATP world rankings, having started the year outside the top 100.
He is the second 19-year-old in the current top 10 along with top-ranked Alcaraz. "They are similar in terms of physicality," Djokovic said about Rune and Alcaraz.
"I think they are both really fit. They train very hard. They are very dedicated guys. They defend, both of them, extremely well. Rune has a better backhand. Alcaraz has a better forehand. But they are both improving on those shots that maybe are not as good as maybe other shots.
"When I say 'not as good', meaning it's not a huge difference. They have great shots, great forehand from Rune or great backhand from Alcaraz.
"They are very complete players for 19-year-olds. It's quite impressive. Also their energy on the court, just wanting, motivating themselves and wanting to do well and staying mentally present, it's impressive."
Rune beat Alcaraz in the quarter-finals after the world No. 1 retired with an injury that will see him miss the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin next week.
Rune is now set to travel to Turin as the first alternate rather than play this week’s Next Gen Finals in Milan for players 21 and under.
If the 19-year-old gets on court he could be a threat, especially given the composure he showed to finally get over the line against Djokovic in a 16-minute closing game.
"He stayed composed also mentally all the way to the last shot," said Djokovic.
"For somebody who is so young to show this composure and maturity in the big match like this is very impressive. He's had a week of his life, I mean, winning against five top 10 players, it's quite impressive."
While Rune could be a contender in Turin if he plays, Djokovic is probably the favourite for the title.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion has looked in excellent touch over the last few months and says he is playing at a “high” level.
“Every tournament is important at this stage of my career. Anywhere I play, I try to win. That's not a secret.
“That's kind of my mentality and approach coming into [Turin]. I feel very good on the court. I think I'm playing very, very good tennis.
"You've got to be fit, fresh. Good thing is that you have a day between every match in the group stage, so you have time to recover between each match, which is good.
"Let's see. I played there last year, played really good tennis. Played semis, tight match against [Alexander] Zverev, who was the eventual champion. So I know that the conditions are different. The ball is flying more because it's altitude. It's quite fast. You've got to serve well. I'll be there some days before to train, and hopefully be at my best."
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