“Novak is on my mind in almost every practice” – Carlos Alcaraz remains fixated on taking the year-end No 1 ranking from Djokovic

Call it an obsession. A vision quest. A dream? Whatever you label it, it’s not a secret: Carlos Alcaraz has Novak Djokovic on his mind as the 2023 ATP season winds down.

When the question was posed to Alcaraz in a pre-tournament interview with the ATP in Shanghai, “How much is Novak Djokovic on your mind?” the 20-year-old did not hesitate to answer.

“Almost in every practice,” Alcaraz said with a smile. “I’m not gonna lie.”

The two-time major champion was primarily referring the No 1 ranking, which has been held by Djokovic since the conclusion of the US Open. Djokovic, now in his record 393rd week at No 1, is bidding for a record 8th year-end No 1 finish.

Alcaraz would like nothing more than to deny the world-beating legend that honour.

Currently 580 points behind Djokovic in the Race to Turin standings, Alcaraz will have the luxury of competing in this week’s Shanghai Masters draw without Djokovic.

But he’ll be thinking of the Serb and what his current status represents as he practices and begins his Shanghai debut with a second-round clash against Gregoire Barrere of France.

“Obviously I practice with a goal,” Alcaraz said. “I go to tournaments with a goal. It is to end the year as the number one, so Novak Djokovic is on my mind almost in every practice.

“I have to practice at my best, I have to go 100 percent on every ball, to be able to catch him.”

Mental game a focus moving forward

After falling in the semi-finals at Beijing, Alcaraz admits that Djokovic isn’t the only thing he’s thinking about. He’s also focused on looking inward and conquering his emotions. He believes his mental game slipped during the second set against his rival Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals (won by Sinner 7-6(4), 6-1), and the Spaniard says he’s working to improve his attitude on court.

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“I always say that mentally is the toughest part to practice, but at the same time is the most important If you want to be the best in tennis,” He said. “I’m trying to work in every practice, in every tournament that I go, to learn from from the things that I probably was not doing well.

“For example, the last match against Jannik, I said that I was out of my mind in the second set, so this is something that I have to work on and I am trying not to have it happen the next time. I want to be the best so I have to practice mentally to be strong enough to play at the same level and not have ups and downs.”