Unveiling Djokovic's doppelgänger: Petkovic draws parallels between Alcaraz and Djokovic's tennis style

Former German tennis player Andrea Petkovic has stated that she saw a bit of Novak Djokovic in Carlos Alcaraz’s play during the final at Wimbledon 2024. The third Grand Slam of the year came to an end on Sunday when the 21-year-old lifted the men’s singles title after beating Serbia’s legendary tennis star in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-2, 7-6.

Former world number seven Petkovic, who retired from the sport back in 2022, was recently quoted in a report where she explained how Djokovic started slowly which ended up costing the match. The 36-year-old further went on to state that she felt scared for other players while watching the contest as she saw shades of Djokovic in Alcaraz’s style of play.

“Paired with the best match Carlos played all fortnight it ended up looking like Novak was being overpowered and outplayed,” she said. “The moment he found his footing in the third set, things got more interesting but it was too late facing a ravishing Carlos Alcaraz. Interestingly, I saw Novak Djokovic in Carlos Alcaraz for the first time and it made me scared for the others.”

Alcaraz’s win was special because it was the first time in his career that he won as many as two Grand Slam titles in a calendar year. The young Spanish star won the French Open for the first time in his career after beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the final in a five-set thrilling contest with a score of 6–3, 2–6, 5–7, 6–1, 6–2. Not only that as Alcaraz also managed to defend his title at the iconic venue successfully. In 2023, he defeated Djokovic in the final in a five-set thrilling contest with a score of 1–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–1, 3–6, 6–4 to win the Wimbledon title for the first time in his young career.