With the start of the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, the matches in Melbourne are increasingly visible in France: the clash between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will take place this Tuesday, January 21 at mid-morning, French time.
A classic for history: the quarter-final of theAustralian Open between Carlos Alcaraz et Novak DjokovicTuesday, will already be the eighth duel between the two champions, the winner of which will take “one more step” on the road to records.
On one side of the net, the 3rd in the world, aged 21 and in search of the only Grand Slam title missing from his record in Melbourne. If the Spaniard succeeds, he will be the youngest player in the history of Tennis to have won the four major tennis tournaments and will break a record dating from 1938.
On the other, the winner of 24 Grand Slam titles at the age of 37, a record that he shares with Australian legend Margaret Court but of which the Serb (7th in the world) would become the only holder if he triumphed in Melbourne.
Towards a new precocity record for “Carlitos”?
After his qualification for the quarter-finals on Sunday, and while he was not yet sure whether he would face Djokovic, Alcaraz claimed that his victory against Jack Draper (18th) in the eighth constituted “one step closer” towards the precocity record he covets.
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“But I take each day after the other”immediately qualified the Spaniard, for whom the 2025 edition of the tournament is the penultimate opportunity to become the youngest winner of the four Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, US Open) .
The youngest player to have completed his collection is the American Don Budge, winner of Roland-Garros in 1938 at 22 years and 363 days. Alcaraz will be 21 years and 266 days old at the end of the 2025 edition of the Australian Open, according to statistics from the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
-Alcaraz led on points
“When the draw was made, I think a lot of people were looking forward to a possible quarter-final match between Alcaraz and me. Here we are.”slipped Djokovic with relish after his victory in the round of 16 against Jiri Lehecka (29th).
Having become a tennis classic since their first mano a mano on the clay court of Madrid in the spring of 2022, won in three sets by the Spaniard, Tuesday's duel will be the eighth between the two players.
However, this match is also a first, since “Carlitos” and “Djoker” have never met in the quarter-finals of a tournament. “They’re not the ideal kind of opponent for a quarter-final”laughed the Spaniard, led 4-3 in his direct confrontations with the Serb, whom he has never beaten on hard court.
Djokovic expects 'a big battle'
It doesn't matter in the end since“in Grand Slams, from the quarter-finals to the final, the players competing are the best in the world. If it wasn't Djokovic, it would have been other players at the top of the rankings” world, highlighted Alcaraz, who equaled his best result in Melbourne by winning his round of 16.
Djokovic, for his part, expects “a big battle, as was the case in most of the matches we faced”. Apart from the final of the last Wimbledon, won in three sets by Alcaraz, or the title match at the 2023 ATP Finals, won in two sets by the Serbian, “we fought long battles, with long exchanges” in each of the previous duels.
“It reminds me of my matches against (his now retired ex-rival Rafael) Nadal in terms of intensity and energy on court”continues the ten-time winner of the Australian Open. “It’s great to watch him play, a little less to face him”resumed Djokovic.
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