Novak Djokovic against Carlos Alcaraz, an early final between two title contenders at the Australian Open. This Tuesday morning, the two men face each other in the quarter-finals in a clash of the titans.
11:35 – Premier ace
We had to wait until the fourth game to see the first ace of this clash.
11:33 – Alcaraz launched (2-1)
After a rally, Carlos Alcaraz takes advantage of a short delivery from Djokovic to send a backhand missile along the line. He is already back from his break after an exchange of 26 shots.
11:31 – Break ball
At the start of the match, the two players observe each other. If Novak Djokovic got the best start, Carlos Alcaraz has the opportunity to get started.
11:30 – “Djoko” explodes
On one of the first points in several exchanges since the start of the match, Carlos Alcaraz delivered with a sliced backhand, before Novak Djokovic sent his forehand into the net.
11:27 – Alcaraz offers the break (2-0)
At the start of the match, Carlos Alcaraz has already made five unforced errors. On a forehand that is too long, the Spaniard concedes the entry break.
11:26 – What a volley!
After a climb to the net and a huge short cross-court passing from Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz lands a backhand volley in extension. The Spaniard is applauded by his opponent.
11:25 – The mistakes keep coming
Second direct error for Carlos Alcaraz on his service game after an uncrossed forehand that was too long.
11:24 – Alcaraz misses the inevitable
After a huge serve on the T, Carlos Alcaraz sends a forehand straight into the middle of the net.
11:23 – “Nole” opens the score (1-0)
New winning service from Novak Djokovic which opens the scoring of this quarter-final. Carlos Alcaraz will try to answer him while the wind is very present in Melbourne.
11:21 – Alcaraz corrects
After three faults in return of service, Carlos Alcaraz sends a long backhand cross and Novak Djokovic decenters his delivery.
11:20 – Here we go!
The shock all tennis fans have been waiting for finally begins at the Australian Open. Novak Djokovic starts with a winning service.
11:16 – Djokovic au service
While Carlos Alcaraz won the toss, the Spaniard chose to start the match on the return leg as the warm-up began.
-11:15 – “No weakness”
Dominant since the start of the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic is in the sights of Carlos Alcaraz who did not fail to give his opinion on the confrontation which awaits him this Tuesday morning: “He has practically no weaknesses This would be the first time we will face each other in a Grand Slam tournament on hard court, and that thrills me. I am ready to do what it takes to beat him on this court, but I know that. I am able to play good tennis against him. I try not to think about the importance of facing Novak in a match for the sport, because if that were the case, it would be impossible for me to be competitive. For me, nothing changes. whether I face him in the semi-final or quarter-final.”
11:12 – Entrance of players
After crossing the long corridor which leads to the court of the Rod Laver Arena, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic enter, acclaimed by the spectators.
11:10 – “It reminds me of my duels against Nadal”
While he will challenge Carlos Alcaraz in a few moments, Novak Djokovic said he expected a meeting with enormous intensity: “I expect a big battle, that has been the case in most of our matches, except maybe for two of them the Wimbledon final last year, where he was dominant on court. And I played a very good match at the Masters in 2023. Apart from that, we have. always had long battles. Reminds me of my duels against Nadal in terms of intensity and energy on the court. He's a very dynamic, explosive, incredibly talented and charismatic player. a little less fun to face it. I'm looking forward to it. I think when the draw came out, a lot of people were looking forward to this potential quarter-final. both very well the ball since the start of the tournament. I like the way I play, the way I feel. I'm really looking forward to this challenge.”
11:05 – 15 minutes !
In a very lively and stunning encounter, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka managed to eliminate Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenko in three sets (6-2 2-6 6-3). Time for the clash between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz in a few minutes.
11:00 – On which channel to watch Djokovic – Alcaraz?
Holder of the TV rights for the Australian Open, Eurosport 1 will broadcast the poster between the Spanish nugget and the player who has won the most Grand Slams in the history of tennis. The meeting is not broadcast unencrypted.
10:55 – Zverev’s clear opinion
While he will face the shock winner in the semi-final of the Australian Open, Alexander Zverev ironically confided to Jim Courier's microphone that he found the poster “boring”: “No, I'm not going to watch this match because it should be rather boring, frankly there is no reason to stay in this stadium after seeing the Paul duel. More seriously, it is a duel between two champions who are surely the best in this sport. that we are never seen. Carlos will be part of it, Nole is already the case. It's a real privilege that they can compete here in Australia so I advise you of course to keep your eyes open.
10:50 – Djokovic advantage
This Tuesday morning, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will face each other for the first time in a Grand Slam on hard court. For the moment, the Serb leads 4-3 in the confrontations, the last of which remains historic. In Paris, the man with 24 Grand Slam titles won the Olympic gold medal last summer.
10:45 – End of controversy
In recent days, Novak Djokovic has found himself in turmoil despite himself. After his victory in the previous round against Czech Jiri Lehecka, the former world No. 1 skipped the post-match interview before later revealing that he was targeting Channel 9, the Australian broadcaster of the tournament. “Nole” said he did not appreciate the outing of one of their journalists, Tony Jones, who had criticized Serbian fans and violently attacked the Serbian player. “Welcome, you can see Novak Djokovic fans singing at the top of their voices. Novak is overrated, Novak is a failure,” the journalist said.
In a complicated situation, Tony Jones apologized this Monday: “I considered it to be humor, which is consistent with most of the things I do… If I could go back in time, I think the thing where I crossed the line, and this is certainly what really irritated Novak Djokovic and his team, was the last sentence wherever I said: ''Put him out''. can only be interpreted as a return in the Covid years when he () was kicked out It made Novak angry, which I completely understand. So it's an unfortunate situation. It’s clearly a personal anguish for me too, but I think the priority is to focus on tennis again.”
10:40 – Two easy rounds
If Novak Djokovic has lost two sets so far in Melbourne (against the Portuguese Faria and the American Basavareddy), the Serbian played against the promising Czech Jiri Lehecka to reach the quarter-finals. For his part, Carlos Alcaraz took advantage of the retirement of Briton Jack Drapper to qualify.
10:35 – Just a little more patience!
Scheduled as the second match during the night session, the clash between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will take place after the quarter-final between Aryna Sabalenka and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. After winning the first set, the world No. 1 has just lost her first set in Melbourne since her coronation last year (6-2 2-6).
10:30 – Hello everyone!
Hello everyone! Welcome to the live clash of the titans at the Australian Open where Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz face each other in the quarter-finals.
