Australian Open news: Men’s Grand Slam final preview - Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic
All eyes will be on Melbourne Park, as the Rod Laver Arena hosts an infamous rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Lorenzo Gagliotta previews the men’s final in the first Grand Slam of the year.
Men’s final: Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic
A rivalry now synonymous with the world of tennis, two of the greatest, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, set to battle it out on the hardcourts of Melbourne Park on a date with destiny.
World number one Alcaraz and ten-time Australian Open winner Djokovic have a 16-year age gap between them, and have both delivered some epic encounters.
They have faced each other a total of nine times so far, with the experienced Djokovic narrowly coming out on top in the head-to-head.
The pair achieved something never done before when they last met at the quarter finals of the US Open, completing a set of matches together at each of the four Majors, to which Alcaraz prevailed, successfully winning the tournament too.
The Spaniard’s path to the first Grand Slam final of the year was tricky, having to maneuver through tough opponents such as Tommy Paul and Alex de Minaur.
He was at the forefront of a five-set battle against world number three Alexander Zverev, which was the longest ever semi-final at the Australian Open.
READ MORE: Australian Open news: Grand Slam finals preview - Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina go head-to-head
Alcaraz is nearing the end goal of achieving a career slam at the tender age of 22, with the Australian Open trophy the only Major missing from his illustrious collection.
It’s whether Alcaraz’s clever creativity and accurate shot-making will be the difference in an epic matchup come Championship Sunday.
World number four Djokovic saw himself in more of a sporadic schedule, booking a place in the semi-finals without having won a set due to injuries to both Jakub Mensik and Lorenzo Musetti, a match which saw Musetti two sets up and was forced to retire.
The Serb showed his mastery in the early rounds but really asserted his dominance in a thrilling semi-final matchup against Italian Jannik Sinner, to which he snapped his five match losing streak to Il Volpe.
Djokovic faces the test of time now to recover, in a game that went past 1:30am local time, and chase his 25th Grand Slam singles title.
It’s set to be an enthralling match to end off an amazing Australian Open, with two of the very best in the game facing off.
READ NEXT: Tyson Fury’s comeback: Can Fury become a three-time heavyweight world champion?
