Carlos Alcaraz has done his homework on the way to a cracking duel with Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
Alcaraz prevailed against the British Jack Draper in the round of the best 16 without having to go the full distance. His opponent, who had a few long matches under his belt and showed physical problems from the first set onwards, gave up when the score was 7:5 and 6:1 before the start of the third set.
“That’s not the way I want to win matches. I’m happy about the quarter-finals, but a little sad about Jack,” said the Spanish world number three, who beat a top 20 player at a Grand Slam for the eighth time in a row .
With the victory, the 21-year-old with the large collection of trophies reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for only the second time – the only Grand Slam tournament where he is still missing a title.
Alcaraz against Djokovic in the quarterfinals?
In the event of a first triumph Down Under, Alcaraz says he wants to get a kangaroo tattoo. Tattoos for the first Grand Slam victory at a location have become a tradition for him.
After his triumph at the US Open, he had the date of his success tattooed on his arm. There was a strawberry symbolizing Wimbledon, and after his success at the French Open he had an Eiffel Tower pierced over his left ankle.
In order to make the eagerly awaited duel between the two top stars possible, Djokovic must now follow suit. The Serbian Grand Slam record winner will meet the Czech Jiri Lehecka from 9 a.m. CET. “I’ll definitely watch it,” Alcaraz said on the court.