Djokovic, who was beaten by Alcaraz in a thrilling five-set Wimbledon final back in July, exacted his revenge at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati in the warm-up tournament for the US Open with a 7-5, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (4) success.

“The truth is that I expected to play against Carlos here in Valencia,” Djokovic told reporters earlier this week. “He is a player who I respect a lot. Whenever I have faced him they have been very hard matches, he is an incredible person and player.

“First with Rafa, now with Alcaraz, Spain has a great tradition in tennis. But hey, I’m from Serbia and these days I’m going to do everything possible to beat Spain.”

Djokovic inspired Serbia to victory against Spain to qualify for the quarter-finals after overcoming Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 6-4 in Valencia on Friday. They will next head to Malaga for the knockout rounds that take place in November.