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Victor Petkov
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Djokovic says Sinner and Alcaraz are playing ‘close to perfection’
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The Serbian likes his new role of being the underdog against the new young stars in world tennis

Novak Djokovic says he’s embracing the challenge of being the hunter rather than the hunted as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner continue to dominate the men’s game.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion, who once reigned unchallenged at the top of tennis, now finds himself chasing two young rivals who have captured the last eight major titles between them. Djokovic still holds a narrow 5–4 advantage in his head-to-head with Alcaraz but fell to the Spaniard in their most recent encounter at the US Open. Against Sinner, however, the Serbian has lost his last five meetings on the ATP Tour.

This week, the 38-year-old faced Sinner again at the 6 Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia – an event featuring a lucrative $1.5 million appearance fee and a $4.5 million winner’s prize – but was beaten comfortably 6-4, 6-2.

“I know that things are a bit different for me nowadays in terms of the level of tennis, my body, and it’s not like when I was at my peak,” Djokovic told The Arab following his defeat. “I still try to play at the highest level and compete with the best players in the world. Jannik and Carlos are, without doubt, a few levels above all of us.”

As for his rivals, Djokovic offered high praise for their impact on the sport. “Jannik and Carlos are playing as close to perfection right now,” he admitted. “It’s quite frustrating to play them when they’re at such a high level, to be honest. But at the same time, it’s great to see — for our sport — that these guys are performing like this. Their rivalry is something truly exciting.”