Carlos Alcaraz told what he 'must realise' in order to be the next Novak Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz has been told that he could emulate Novak Djokovic if he makes a realisation about his game. The world No. 3 outlasted Jannik Sinner in five sets in the French Open semi-final - a performance that could prove pivotal for his career.

Mats Wilander wants to see Alcaraz learn to play the same way in other matches, claiming that he showed he could defend as well as Djokovic.

The Serb is arguably the most consistent player across the three surfaces, holding at least three titles at each of the Grand Slams. And Alcaraz has become the youngest man in the Open Era to reach Major finals on clay, grass and hard courts at the age of 21.

Alcaraz needed four hours to dispatch Sinner, who had not lost a Grand Slam match this year. The Spaniard came through 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3 and later told the crowd that he had to “find the joy” in suffering to get the victory.

Wilander has now explained just how important it is for Alcaraz to realise that he can win ugly after digging deep to reach the French Open final. “I think once he realises he has to sometimes play like this in certain matches, less drop shots, less fancy, he's going to be impossible to beat,” the seven-time Slam champion told Eurosport.

“Obviously he's great when he's aggressive and when he defends and to me today he showed he’s going to be as good as Roger [Federer], Rafa [Nadal] and Novak at defence.” Former world No. 2 Alex Corretja agreed, sharing the significance of Alcaraz’s win over Sinner.

He added: “For me it's huge for Carlos. We've been waiting for him to say, to know how to suffer and get through a moment where maybe you don't play at your best and even if your opponent isn't playing their best tennis you need to find a way to win.

“And today was one of those days. So for me it is something that will help him so much about how to win, let's say, in a less enjoyable way than usual.”