It is the party of all parties, the ‘modern classic’ of world tennisthe expected and premature face to face between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic that will make two men collide today (not before 10:00 Spanish peninsular time), in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, in a duel for their own destiny . The Rod Laver Arena will attend the eighth act of the tragicomedy starring two actors willing to improvise one line more than the opponent. The candidate wants revenge for the Olympic defeat and the conquest of a public that has not yet surrendered at his feet; The veteran fights to complete his great work on the stage of his best dreams.
“It’s his tournament, but I’ve played against him many times and I know what I have to do,” Alcaraz stated firmly after beating Jack Draper and confirming the match against Nole that made resale ticket prices explode.
The Murcian has arrived in Australia to collect the Grand Slam title that is missing from his showcases and he does so with the rabid memory of what happened exactly 170 days ago on the clay of Roland Garros. There he ended up in tears of sadness, with the Olympic silver medal around his neck, while he watched his great rival lcry with happiness at the top of the podium with his precious gold.
Carlitos, until now unable to play an Australian Open with his best tennis sensations, has placed the tournament aussie at the top of their priorities this year. With his renewed serve and the brief modifications to his tennis, he has already shown his unstoppable level in the first four matches. Now comes the real challenge.
The present already belongs to the ‘children’, Alcaraz and Sinner, although Djokovic knows that, if there is any possibility of challenging the new rules of the circuit, the moment is here and now, on the blue slopes of Melbourne Park.
Nothing better to start than a victory against Alcaraz, Nadal’s irreverent pupil who has taken the last two Wimbledon titles from him, to reach the semi-finals and send a clear message to anyone who dares to stand in his way. The Spaniard has been measured seven times and on all the occasions they have fought on a hard court he has won.. They still win 4-3 head-to-head and a draw takes them away from their big goal.
And his great work is not finished. After surpassing Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal and winning the long-awaited Olympic gold, the man of records still has in mind the challenge of winning his 25th Grand Slam title to break the 24-24 tie with the legend Margaret Court and raise his 100th title to the Australian sky.
With the memory of his ten titles in the major oceanic, but also with the bad taste in his mouth from his controversial arrest in the middle of a pandemic and his recent controversy with the press, Djokovic takes on the challenge while the echoes of withdrawal already resonate in his head.
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