Novak Djokovic v Carlos Alcaraz – tale of the tape and where to watch the showdown in Saudi Arabia

Novak Djokovic will take on Carlos Alcaraz in a big-budget exhibition match in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and this promises to be a delicious appetiser to the new season.

The best two players in the men’s game shared some of the most dramatic moments of the 2023 tennis year, with Djokovic’s win over his Spaniard rival at the French Open followed by Alcaraz’s victory over the Serbian in the Wimbledon final.

Their meeting in the final of the Cincinnati Masters had to be the match of the year and now we are looking forward to plenty more clashes in 2024.

Here is what we can expect from Djokovic vs Alcaraz, with the match part of an expensively assembled cast of sporting stars in the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup:

STORY SO FAR

Djokovic holds a 3-2 head-to-head record against Alcaraz in what has quickly become one of the most exciting new rivalries in the sport.

The youngster won their first meeting in Madrid in 2022 and admitted he cramped due to the nerves of taking on one of the game’s all-time greats at the French Open in Paris last June.

Alcaraz bounced back from that setback to win the Wimbledon final against Djokovic and he should have beaten his rival again in an epic Cincinnati Masters Final in August but spurned chances to get another victory.

It was Djokovic dominating on indoor hard courts at the ATP Finals, with Alcaraz admitting he is no match for the Serbian in these conditions.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

The two biggest names in the men’s game will meet in Saudi Arabia, with their match on Wednesday taking place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.

This is the venue that hosted Anthony Joshua’s comprehensive victory against Otto Wallin and Deontay Wilder’s shock points loss to Joseph Parker last weekend.

Now that Arena has been converted into a tennis mecca, with Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur doing battle in a women’s match on Tuesday before Djokovic and Alcaraz lock horns a day later.

The court in Riyadh has been laid quickly following the boxing show on December 23rd, so the four players taking part in the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup will be eager to see how it plays when they set foot on it for the first time.

READ MORE: Thirteen tennis winners and losers from 2023 – including Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu

WHAT THEY SAY

Djokovic on Saudi Arabian involvement in sport: “I think that we as individual sport on a global level are probably closest to golf in terms of how we see sports. I think from that example we can probably learn a lot, some positives, some negatives, and try to structure a deal if it’s going in that direction in a proper way that is going to protect the integrity, tradition and history of this sport, but still be able to grow it in such way that it will be appropriate.

“It was just a question of time when they were to start some kind of negotiations or conversations in tennis to try to enter tennis. They’ve done that with pretty much all other global sports, except maybe basketball. We see what’s happening in football for the last few years, the stars that are going there for tremendous amounts of money.”

WHERE TO WATCH?

The DAZN network has close ties to major sports in Saudi Arabia and they have been announced as the global partner for the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup.

This network covered the boxing action at the Kingdom Arena last weekend and their cameras will beam Djokovic vs Alcaraz to a huge global audience

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Djokovic and Alcaraz appearing on the same court in Saudi Arabia is significant for tennis.

There is a lot of debate around what should happen next for the sport and how the Saudis could work with tennis chiefs to fund the sport moving forward.

Many are uncomfortable with Saudi Arabia’s human rights stances and their ongoing ban on homosexuality in the kingdom, which has inspired many to suggest they should not have so much influence on a global stage.

Yet money talks and with boxing and golf already heavily influenced by Saudi money, their eagerness to influence football has seen them bring a host of star names to Saudi Arabia to play in their Pro League.

They were the only bidders for the 2034 World Cup finals and now they have the two biggest names in tennis appearance on their soil.

If Djokovic and Alcaraz are happy to endorse Saudi involvement in tennis, those doubting whether they are suitable partners moving forward may have to accept their objections will fall on deaf ears.

The ATP Next Gen Finals are already being played in Saudi Arabia and the WTA Finals are also expected to take place in the Kingdom in 2024.

Saudi chiefs have their eyes on the global reach of tennis and when they want something to happen, it generally does.

So expect a lot more tennis events and stars names appearing in Saudi Arabia in the coming years.