'I've played Djokovic and Alcaraz - one lets you breathe, the other suffocates you'

French tennis star Alexandre Muller has revealed the big differences when playing against Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

The 27-year-old has faced both superstars in recent times and declared that the Serbian star is "horrible" to play against while two-time Wimbledon champion Alcaraz makes "more mistakes". Muller played Djokovic at the US Open in 2023 and lost in three straight sets as the Serbian cruised to victory.

Muller went toe-to-toe with Alcaraz at Wimbledon in the same year and also succumbed to the Spaniard in three sets. Alcaraz went on to win the All England title that year, however Muller has confidently claimed that Djokovic is the tougher opponent of the two.

The ATP tour regular told We Love Tennis that facing the 39-year-old was "suffocating". He also claimed that facing Djokovic was a unique experience, and one that no other competitor has provided him with.

"Against Novak, the truth is that I've never felt like that on a tennis court before" Muller said. "It was totally suffocating. The guy leaves you nothing, not a crumb, it's horrible."

Muller went on to compare Djokovic and Alcaraz, adding: "I played Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon and it was almost relaxing compared to Novak. Carlos lets you breathe a little, but Novak suffocates you all the time."

‌Djokovic dispatched Muller 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 on the way to picking up his fourth US Open title and Muller has stated that he was actually "afraid" of the Serbian. Whereas, against Alcaraz, he felt it was slightly easier to win games.

"Djoko doesn't let you breathe," Muller told L'Equipe."There were 6-0, 2-0, I was afraid. We said to ourselves: 'Am I going to play?' Whereas Alcaraz, he is more flamboyant, but I had small games where I was able to win easily. Djokovic is more impressive."

Muller disclosed how when preparing to face the duo he was forced to devise different game plans. Despite Alcaraz being on his fourth Grand Slam title at just 21 years old, Muller believes the Spanish star has more errors in his game whereas Djokovic doesn't give anything away to his opponents.

"They are two different games. We talked about it with my coach Gérard Solvès. I told him that against Alcaraz, I knew I was going to score. He tries a lot, so he makes a lot more mistakes," Muller said.

"But against Novak, I had the impression that if he wanted to put me three times 6-0 up, he could do it. He's so solid, he doesn't give away any free points and that makes it more complicated for me. With Alcaraz, I have a bit more breathing space to win games."

Muller reached a career-high ATP ranking of No 76 in July this year and has won nine of his 23 matches at ATP Tour level in 2024.