The stage is set
As expected, Carlos Alcaraz’s and Novak Djokovic’s paths will cross in Friday’s Semifinal, setting up their second meeting of the season and their fifth meeting in Grand Slams. Carlos Alcaraz is yet to drop a set in the tournament, but Novak Djokovic is not doing too badly himself, seeing as he defeated fourth seed Taylor Fritz in four sets.
History
Their head-to-head record stands at 5-3 in favour of Novak. They’ve played three times on hard courts and Djokovic won all three matches, making their hard court head-to-head a devastating 3-0 in favour of the Serb. Earlier this year they met in the Australian Open Quarterfinals in a match where Carlos Alcaraz was seen as the favourite coming into the match, and it started out just as predicted, as Carlos Alcaraz took the first set. Unfortunately for him, his good moment was short-lived, as Novak Djokovic made an exceptional comeback, winning the next three sets in a row. Alcaraz was left stunned, as Djokovic used everything, he had to grind out the win.
Who is the favourite?
So far, Carlos Alcaraz has had the better Grand Slam season, but Novak Djokovic’s dominance on hard courts makes this one of the tightest matchups in tennis. If the match were to go the distance, Carlos Alcaraz would be favoured due to his age and physical form, but if Novak Djokovic is able to play consistently well and effectively from the baseline, it would be difficult for Alcaraz to keep up with him. The deciding factors will be if Alcaraz can push through and manage his ups and downs and if Djokovic’s body can fight through another gruelling match. Having said this, Alcaraz is the slight favourite with the odds at about 60/40 in favour of the Spaniard.
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