Carlos Alcaraz reveals honest response about Novak Djokovic's Australian Open chances

Alcaraz is now out but Djokovic still in the Australian Open.
Nicolò Campo/GettyImages
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Novak Djokovic has not lost at the Australian Open since 2018. He did not win the 2022 event probably because he was not allowed to play due to his vaccination status. The Serb has won a record 10 Australian Open titles and is now in the semifinals of the 2024 Aussie Open and looking for title number 11.

But can Djokovic be beaten in Melbourne? Carlos Alcaraz thinks so. And Alcaraz thinks he knows just the player who can defeat Djokovic.

That player will not be Alcaraz, though. The Spaniard lost in the quarterfinals to Alexander Zverev. To be fair, Zverev, who will play Daniil Medvedev in one of the men's semifinals on Friday, played what was probably the best two sets of his life to begin the match against Alcaraz while Alcaraz was not playing well at all. Still, Alcaraz can only sit and watch the rest of the Australian Open like the rest of us.

Carlos Alcaraz thinks Jannik Sinner could beat Novak Djokovic

But Alcaraz, possibly causing an even bigger drama (fueling the fires of rivalry between Alcaraz and Djokovic) when he next faces Djokovic, is not going to stop talking about the year's first Grand Slam. While his first language is not English, he did make clear after his loss to Zverev what he thinks will happen next. That includes Djokovic having some issues.

According to what Alcaraz told the press after his loss to Zverev, "I think the players that are in the semifinals have the level to beat (Djokovic). It’s not easy to beat Novak in a tournament, but I think it’s even tougher in a Grand Slam. But he has to face Jannik Sinner (and Sinner is) playing an unbelievable game. He has not dropped a set in this tournament. That means that he has the level and the capacity to beat Novak."

Alcaraz has a point, of course. Djokovic is beatable as every player is. Plus, Sinner has the confidence from recent success against Djokovic. Sinner defeated Djokovic twice in November, once at the ATP Finals and once at the Davis Cup. A Sinner victory would put him into a Grand Slam final for the first time, but he just has to go through possibly the greatest player ever to get there.

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