
Carlos Alcaraz says he has banned himself from discussing tennis with Novak Djokovic despite the pair spending an increasing amount of time together. Ahead of Wimbledon the two icons practiced with one another - but stopped short of talking tactics.
"Yeah, I've talked with Novak many, many times. I've watched his matches. I've practiced with him. I've watched his practices as well sometimes," Alcaraz said.
"But we have never talk about tennis, about matches, whatever. I prefer to talk with him other things, about life, not about tennis, to be honest.
"So I don't know how to answer that question, to be honest. Just trying to take some things about his game, the way he practices, the way he plays sometimes in the matches.
"But I just watching from outside, not talking with him and asking him some questions about tennis. It's just about watching his matches because I love watching him playing. I love the times that I practiced with him, just to see how he moves, how he plays, how he practices. I love that.
"But apart of that, I don't talk too much with him about tennis."
Alcaraz's arch-rival Jannik Sinner has taken a completely different approach. His coach Darren Cahill asked Djokovic to break down the Italian's game to the finest detail.
Ahead of Wimbledon, Cahill said: "I've got to say, one of the players that I tapped on the shoulder - he (Sinner) lost to Novak a couple of years ago at Wimbledon in five sets. Won the first two sets, Novak came back and ran away with it," explained the Australian.
"Novak got used to his ball, got used to the shape, got used to the pace and then just locked in, like Novak does, and doesn't miss. And won the last three sets reasonably easily.
"And I saw Novak, and he's always great with this, he's always been incredible when you tap him on the shoulder. And I said, 'Hey listen, I've just started with Jannik, don't tell me anything you don't want to tell me, but can I ask what you were feeling out there?' And he was incredible.
"He basically said, 'Hey listen. Good luck with working with him. Hits the ball great, but there's no variation. So you know, there's no shape on his shot. There's no height over the net. Doesn't come to the net. He's not trying to bring me in, I know that he returns well, but he's not attacking my serve on the return of serve.
"And I saw Novak, and he's always great with this, he's always been incredible when you tap him on the shoulder. And I said, 'Hey listen, I've just started with Jannik, don't tell me anything you don't want to tell me, but can I ask what you were feeling out there?' And he was incredible.
"He basically said, 'Hey listen. Good luck with working with him. Hits the ball great, but there's no variation. So you know, there's no shape on his shot. There's no height over the net. Doesn't come to the net. He's not trying to bring me in, I know that he returns well, but he's not attacking my serve on the return of serve.
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