Carlos Alcaraz missed last year's Australian Open, but he's back this year and ready to mount a siege on Novak Djokovic's throne.
No player has ever been as dominant as Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open as he won ten titles in Melbourne, with the tenth coming last year. Carlos Alcaraz wasn't at the event last year due to injuries, but he's going to be there this year, and he's looking really motivated.
Alcaraz and Djokovic played an exhibition match in Riyadh not too long ago, and Alcaraz was able to win that match. The Spaniard added a few more wins since then, and that, combined with how the courts play, makes him a very dangerous player in Melbourne.
On top of all of that, Alcaraz is pretty motivated to do well because he wants to dethrone Djokovic in Melbourne.
"Yeah, I mean, it's an extra motivation for me. I'm an ambitious guy. I always want to play against the best players in the world to see what is my level. Obviously it's a good test, playing against him in the places or in the tournament that he's almost unbeaten."
As funny as it sounds, Djokovic is almost unbeaten in Australia, at least in recent years. He's won every edition of the event he played since 2019, with the 2022 Australian Open being won by Rafael Nadal as he was deported from the country.
That's clear domination, but Alcaraz is keen on making the final, and if he does, there is a good chance he'll face Novak Djokovic in it.
"Yeah, I looking for reaching the final and hopefully playing a final against him. It would be great obviously. But, yeah, knowing those stats, it's an extra motivation, for sure."
We'll see what happens, but this does look like a year when Djokovic might run into some trouble, at least on paper.
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