Novak Djokovic knows a thing or two about the talents and intangibles required to win big matches against the best players. He has been in 35 Grand Slam finals and won 23 of them. He played Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer a total of 109 times, with head-to-head edges against both. He went 9-5 against them in title matches at majors.

So it seemed only natural to ask Djokovic to whom he’d compare the new star of men’s tennis—Carlos Alcaraz—after losing to him across five sets and more than four-and-a-half hours brimming with brilliant play and dramatic moments in the Wimbledon final on Sunday. “People have been talking in the past 12 months or so about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa and myself. I would agree with that,” Djokovic began, the bitterness of the 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 defeat, and the end of his reign at the All England Club, still sharp.