Novak Djokovic [Source: Reuters]
The Australian Open quarter-finals begin on today and fans are expected to pack Rod Laver Arena when 10-times champion Novak Djokovic meets Carlos Alcaraz, who is bidding to complete a career Grand Slam.
Women’s top seeds Coco Gauff and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka are also in action while men’s second seed Alexander Zverev completes the lineup at the famous stadium.
When Djokovic was listed as the seventh seed at Melbourne Park this year, he was on a collision course with Alcaraz when the draw was made and the mouth-watering clash will come to pass as they meet for the eighth time, with the Serbian leading 4-3.
Alcaraz triumphed in straight sets in the Wimbledon final last year but Djokovic took revenge less than a month later when he claimed the Olympic gold medal on the Spaniard’s favourite surface at Roland Garros.
Djokovic’s aura of invincibility at the Australian Open has seen cracks with the 37-year-old dropping two sets in the early rounds while Alcaraz has come through largely unscathed in shorter matches, dropping just one set.
For Djokovic, Alcaraz is a younger version of his long-time Spanish rival Rafa Nadal, who he beat in the marathon 2012 final lasting five hours and 53 minutes — the longest on record at the Melbourne slam.
Another player hoping to exact revenge is 11th seed Badosa after the Spaniard was beaten in last year’s Beijing semi-final when Gauff made a stirring comeback to win in three sets en route to the title.
The head-to-head record is split with each player winning three times but Badosa has not beaten Gauff since the 2023 Madrid Open.