Top-ranked men̵7;s tennis player Carlos Alcaraz admitted on Wednesday that his father was probably filming the defense Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic during a training session this week, as alleged by Serbian media, but he said the intentions behind the recording were not malicious.
Serbian news broadcaster B92 reported this week that Alcaraz and his team, including his father, were present during an event Djokovic’s training session on Monday. According to the report, Alcaraz’s father started the filming.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia in action against Andre Rublev during the men’s singles quarterfinal match on day nine of the Championships Wimbledon 2023 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London on July 11, 2023. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
According to the outlet, Djokovic responded by saying, “We’re all in the same situation, the circumstances are such that we don’t have privacy in training, although sometimes I would like to have more privacy.”
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“The truth is you’re not completely relaxed in training. You know your rivals are there, you know everyone is looking over your shoulder to see what’s going on, what you’re working on. Every shot is measured, evaluated and evaluated. , Through some analysis, affects the last meeting with Alcaraz or someone tomorrow.”
Alcaraz was asked about the report during the quarterfinal press conference.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain plays against Holger Roon of Denmark during the men’s singles quarterfinal match on day 10 of the Championships Wimbledon 2023 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London on July 12, 2023. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
It appears that he confirmed this but clarified that the intention behind filming Djokovic was nothing more than a compliment.
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“Probably, it is true. My father is a big fan of tennis. He not only watches my matches. I think he comes to the club at 11 am and goes out at 10 pm, watches the matches, everyone Let’s see the practice.” ,
He added, “To be able to see Djokovic in real life, yeah, maybe it’s true that he filmed the sessions.”
Alcaraz denied deriving any kind of competitive advantage from the recording, saying that he had “watched a lot of Djokovic’s videos on every platform.”
The practice courts at Wimbledon are accessible to journalists and a limited number of fans. Players also practice on adjacent courts with no walls or barriers between them.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia arrives at training on Day 11 of The Championships Wimbledon 2023 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London on July 13, 2023. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
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Alcaraz is one match away from potentially playing Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, but first he faces Daniil Medvedev on Friday, who is playing his first semi-final at the All England Club.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.