Novak Djokovic claims Carlos Alcaraz 'disrespected' him after Wimbledon practice

Novak Djokovic joked that Carlos Alcaraz has not shown him enough respect at Wimbledon over the past two years when they had a practice session together on Thursday. The pair met in the final at SW19 in both 2023 and 2024, and the Spaniard came out on top on both occasions.

Alcaraz now heads into the Grand Slam in hopes of landing a hat-trick, and the 22-year-old arrives in sensational form. Following victories at the French Open and Queen's, the reigning champion is favourite to defend his crown and his preparation is now well underway.

Alcaraz and Djokovic played out a practice session on Centre Court on Thursday, where the latter jokingly questioned the praise he received from last year's winner given how their last two finals have panned out.

Alcaraz was initially asked about his feelings when practicing with Djokovic given the enormous success that he has enjoyed at Wimbledon over the years, to which he replied: "He said he was privileged to play this year because of me, because I was defending champion but that was a big lie.

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"I'm privileged to play with a seven-time champion here, it's crazy what he has done. Not only on grass but it's a privilege."

But before Alcaraz had time to wrap up his praise of Djokovic, the Serb soon interjected to crack a joke about how their last two SW19 matches have panned out. He joked: "I'm looking for a little bit more respect from him. He's talking about respect but the last two years he didn't give me the respect on this court."

The pair then laughed off the remark before play got underway. However, there was a minor concern during the all-star practice session that followed for Alcaraz as he was forced to pause play and seek medical attention. The five-time Grand Slam winner appeared to be struggling with a hand problem.

The issue appeared to be a cut and is therefore unlikely to pose him any sort of issue at Wimbledon, though those in attendance waited with bated breath after initially watching Alcaraz indicate that he would need some form of treatment.

The two players are not able to play out a third consecutive final against one another this year as they are both in the same half of the draw so could meet in the semi-finals.

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