As Novak Djokovic begins his chase for a fourth US Open title, the 23-time Grand Slam champion said World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is bringing the best out of him as the 20-year-old Spaniard has been "pushing him to the limit." The pair faced off in the Western and Southern Open final on Sunday, and it took the Serbian three hours and 49 minutes to win — extending his record — his 39th ATP Masters 1000 crown.
The hard-court major US Open will run from August 28 to September 10. “He's always pushing me to the limit. I think I do to him pretty much the same thing.
That's why we produced a memorable final. It was one of the best, most exciting, and most difficult finals I was ever part of in best-of-three, no doubt, throughout my career,” Djokovic was quoted as saying by ATP. “That's why I fell on the ground after I won the match because it felt like winning a Grand Slam, to be honest.
The amount of exchanges and rallies. It was physically so demanding and gruelling that I felt very exhausted for the next few days," the 23-time major champion said.