MELBOURNE: Carlos Alcaraz is pumped for the Australian Open, where he hopes to dethrone holder Novak Djokovic and win his third Grand Slam title, reclaiming the world number one ranking.The 20-year-old Spaniard will try to forget about his injury-plagued start to last year, when he missed the Australian Open, which Djokovic won to reclaim the top spot in the rankings.The bull-like Alcaraz, who has taken the tennis world by storm since becoming the youngest men’s world number one after winning the US Open in 2022, retaliated by winning his second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon after defeating Djokovic in an intense five-set final.
However, after winning the 2023 US Open in September, the 36-year-old Serb defeated his younger adversary at the ATP Finals, claiming a record-extending ninth year-end number one place.Their rivalry could be set for another epic fight, with Alcaraz once again in contention for the global number one title.
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Djokovic leads Alcaraz by 2,200 points, and Alcaraz has no points to defend in Australia after missing the tournament in 2023 due to a leg injury.Rankings are determined by the number of points earned at each competition, which expire each year. To keep the points earned at an event, a player must at least match their performance from the previous year.That means Alcaraz would win the title in Australia and reclaim first place regardless of the Serbian’s outcome.He would also pass Djokovic if he advances to the quarter-finals, semi-finals, or final and the Serb does not.While Alcaraz may not require any further motivation, a statement victory would solidify his position in the sport and leave little doubt that he is leading a change of guard in men’s tennis.”It’s incredible to learn from (Djokovic).” “It’s incredible to share the court with him,” Alcaraz remarked after defeating Djokovic in a late-December exhibition match in Saudi Arabia.
