He thinks so, anyway. After a season in which he didn’t win anything outside of the Olympics, Djokovic isn’t taking anything, or any victory, for granted. He seemed to need a confidence boost coming into this quarterfinal, and he got one.
“The last two matches have been a really high level,” Djokovic says. “A great matchup for me prior to Alcaraz. I’m really glad to be able to beat Machac and Lehecka in straight sets. I can win against any opponent when I’m feeling my best.”
Djokovic and Alcaraz have played twice on hard courts, once indoors in Turin and once outdoors in Cincinnati. Djokovic won both times, but he had to save match points to do it in Cincy in the summer of 2023. And we’re all aware of how much he loves this particular hard court. A win over Alcaraz would be his 99th for his career at the Australian Open against just nine defeats.
I think we know what we’ll get from Alcaraz; with the exception of last year’s US Open, which came in the wake of his Olympic effort, he has become a consistent performer at the majors. He won’t be perfect, he’ll have his highs and lows, but he’ll be fit, and he shouldn’t be overly nervous. Which means the result may depend on Djokovic—specifically, his motivation level, and his ability to stay with Alcaraz over best-of-five.
