A well-rested Novak Djokovic and a recovered Carlos Alcaraz will return to the court at Bercy for the upcoming Paris Masters. This would be the first time these household names will participate in the same tournament since the US Open because Djokovic withdrew from the Asian swing and neither Novak nor Carlos had participated in the Swiss Indoors Basel.
Though it would be foolish to count out the reigning Paris Masters champion, Holger Rune, who bolstered his camp when he hired tennis legend and multiple Paris Masters champion Boris Becker to be his new coach.
Holger Rune hires new coach before the Paris Masters
Last year, Holger Rune won his first Masters 1000 in Bercy. This came as quite a surprise to the tennis world when the 19-year-old joined the likes of Karen Khachanov, David Ferrer, and Jack Sock as unlikely winners of the tournament.
This year, the right-handed Danish aims to have another strong outing in Paris as Rune parted ways with long-time coach Patrick Mouratoglou earlier this summer and hired Boris Becker as his new head coach.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who was once a recipient of Becker’s wisdom, weighed in on the Danish-German pairing of Rune and Becker in a pre-tournament press conference for the upcoming Paris Masters: “I think it’s a very good decision from Holger to invite Boris to join his team. Boris is a legend of our sport, someone that, you know, understands the game so well from a player’s perspective, coaching perspective. He’s been around the game for so many years. He’s seen and played against different players in different generations.”
Former World No. 1 and tennis icon Jimmy Connors also shared his thoughts about the new combo in town on his podcast Advantage Connors, saying: “I think that’s great and here’s why, when Boris first burst onto the scene and won Wimbledon, his game, his approach, and the way he played was pretty exciting. He had groundstrokes, he had a huge serve. He wasn’t afraid to leave his seat and go all out for a volley. I think what he can bring to his relationship is that.”
“What it takes to just be that bit extra and to push yourself a bit more. Not that Rune is not but to have someone there who has been there done that and has won Wimbledon, US Open, and major titles around the world and to put your reputation and your game on the line like that is an important part of it. I think that gets left out a lot.” he added.
It seems like Boris Becker’s return to the sport would appear to benefit not only the Holger Rune but also the entire tennis community, unless you’re an adversary.
Djokovic and Alcaraz share the court before Paris campaign
The six-time Paris Masters champion, Novak Djokovic, skipped the entire Asian swing after a successful US Open campaign. Djokovic has had tremendous success in the Paris Masters, having won the tournament six times, which is twice as many as anyone else. His last title came in 2021, but he did reach the finals last year, only to be beaten by the 19-year-old Holger Rune.
A well-rested Novak would be a scary sight to see, and he is surely one of the SBOTOP Paris Masters 2023 odds favourite to win the tournament. But it certainly won’t be a cake walk for the 36-year-old veteran, as world no. 2 Carlos Alcaraz has had a speedy recovery from his injury and is also set to participate in the Paris Masters. Djokovic has played five months of fantastic tennis. He now has a record of almost perfect 26-1, where he narrowly lost against Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set, four-hour-and-43-minute epic, 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
After a disappointing Asian swing, and a withdrawal from Basel due to injuries he sustained on his foot and back, Carlos Alcaraz is poised to bounce back and go on a threatening run for the World No. 1 spot.
But as we brace ourselves for what would be a fiery campaign for both Djokovic and Alcaraz, the two Grand Slam champions shared the court before continuing their head-to-head competition for the year’s top ranking.
The two tennis giants had a moment of mutual respect and reverence when they shared a friendly practice session at Accor Arena on the eve of the main draw.
Both champions will open their crusade in Bercy with a first-round bye. Djokovic will first face either Miomir Kecmanovic or Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry, while Alcaraz will start his comeback against the winner of the first-round match between Alexandre Muller and Roman Safiullin.
Marquee doubles draw
Jannik Sinner and Stan Wawrinka will headline the first-round doubles match at the Paris Masters as they face a Serbian duo of Novak Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic. This will be an interesting matchup given that neither team has competed alongside each other in the past.
This first-round match of behemoths won’t be bashful in producing Paris Masters 2023 highlights, given that Djokovic, Sinner, and Wawrinka have all cracked the Top 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.The doubles draw also has notable first-round matches such as Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz facing off against Jiri Lehecka and Ben Shelton; also, Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev will go head-to-head with Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow.
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