Novak Djokovic and new coach Andy Murray plan to defeat Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open | Tennis news
On Tuesday, Novak Djokovic continues his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in a clash between two tennis generations.
Djokovic is arguably the sport’s all-time greatest, playing in pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam title.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz is at the forefront of a new wave of rising tennis stars. He is still only 21 years old, but he has already won Wimbledon twice, as well as the French Open and the US Open.
The Australian Open is the only major title outside of Alcaraz’s collection and he is looking to complete his career Grand Slam this year in Melbourne.
If he succeeds, he will be the youngest player ever to succeed.
This quarter-final will be held from 9.30 on Tuesday, which you can follow in the blog live on Sky Sports website and application.
Alcaraz won an unforgettable Wimbledon final against Djokovic in 2023, winning in a five-set thriller. The Spaniard dominated Djokovic to win the Wimbledon final again last year.
But Djokovic prevailed in their last meeting, when he defeated Alcaraz at Roland Garros last summer in an emotional Olympic final to secure his first gold medal.
Sky Sports Tennis commentator Jonathan Overend said this was a quarter-final “worthy of the final, worthy of every final, and yet they play in the round of 16”.
“They’ve had so many great battles in the past, especially the Wimbledon final from two years ago, the Cincinnati final from that summer was also amazing and of course the 2024 Olympic final on clay at Roland Garros, which was in many people’s eyes the game of the past season,” Overend continued.
“It was an incredible level these two reached. The hitting, the defensive ability, the movement of both these guys – no doubt – and the emotion at the end with Djokovic in tears finishing the Golden Slam and Alcaraz in tears because he was so close to winning it gold medal for Spain.
“If we come close to repeating the standard of tennis that day in this match, then we’re in for a treat in Melbourne.”
‘I know my weapon’
It will be the earliest stage where their paths crossed in the main.
“This is not the right player for the quarterfinals, I guess,” Alcaraz said.
“Since I’m in the quarterfinals, I’ll approach the match the same way I did the previous matches against him, so we’ll see.
“I know my weapons. I know I can play good tennis against him, I can beat him.”
Djokovic said of Alcaraz: “He’s a very dynamic, explosive player. Incredibly talented and charismatic. He’s great to watch, but not so great to play against.
“I expect a big battle, as is the case in most of our matches when we meet each other.”
Murray vs Ferrero: Battle of the coaches
Djokovic has a new source of guidance for this tournament, having hired retired superstar Andy Murray as his new coach.
Alcaraz’s coach is Juan Carlos Ferrero, another former world No. 1.
AND Sky Sports Tennis Overend said: “Murray actually beat Ferrer three times and all in 2009, including Wimbledon that year.
“Two very astute readers of the game and we know the excellent work Ferrero has done with Alcaraz over several years, but we are already seeing Murray’s influence on Djokovic.
“The potential for this great short-term coaching arrangement is there for everyone and Murray will absolutely relish the opportunity to engineer Alcaraz’s downfall. I guess the big question is whether he’ll try to tinker with something special.
“What Murray could bring is a few subtle changes, potentially in Djokovic’s counter-attacking game.
“We know how good he is, but can he see a few gaps in Alcaraz’s back line to try to take the initiative in the rallies and prevent the Spaniard from scoring points.”
Served by Alcaraz
The Spaniard is 16 years younger than Djokovic, so age is on his side, but last season his game was a bit erratic and he is in the process of reshaping his serve.
“This is the first time they’ve met since Alcaraz improved his serve,” Overend said.
“We’ve already seen an increase in speed, an increase in power, the changes they made in the off-season were quite noticeable in action. All the jerkiness that we saw in Carlos before is gone, it’s much smoother. He seems to be able to generate that ‘pop’ with it .
“Everything seems to be coming together for him, but will it be as effective? That slight increase in potency against the greatest returner, against Djokovic.
“I think Djokovic is too good a returner for that to make any special difference.”
Djokovic wins a record 25th Grand Slam?
“I believe Djokovic has the strength to win and logic suggests his best chance is this next opportunity at this Australian Open, and then you add the element of Andy Murray and his coaching corner,” he said. Sky Sports Tennis’ Overend.
“This is an opportunity for Djokovic to break the record. He is still three matches away from doing so.
“Potentially he’ll have to beat Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner in back-to-back matches, which will be extremely difficult, but given that he’s been after him from the start and he’s had a 25-Grand Slam mic drop moment and who knows? Maybe even and retiring in place if he wins the trophy.
“I will have to look for Djokovic to repeat his success in Paris and beat Alcaraz once more.”
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