MELBOURNE, Australia — (AP) — It's time for the eighth installment of the riveting, intergenerational rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. This one, though, will be the first at the Australian Open — and the first in the quarterfinals of a tournament; each of the others came in either a semifinal or final.
“Well, this is not the right player to play in a quarterfinal, I guess,” a grinning Alcaraz said, looking ahead to Tuesday's encounter. “But facing Novak, for me, it’s not going to change anything if I’m playing him (in a) quarterfinal or semifinal. Probably change a little bit if it is a final, obviously. Being in a quarterfinal, I’m going to approach the match the same as I did in the previous matches against him, and let’s see.”
Alcaraz reached his 10th career Grand Slam quarterfinal, tied for the most by a man before his 22nd birthday, by advancing when 15th-seeded Jack Draper stopped playing because of a hip injury after dropping the first two sets Sunday afternoon.
Djokovic, who is being coached in Melbourne by old rival Andy Murray, did his part at night in Rod Laver Arena, needing to work a little longer but getting through just the same with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over No. 24 Jiri Lehecka.
Afterward, Djokovic declined to do the customary on-court interview, instead holding the microphone himself and telling the crowd: “Thank you very much for being here tonight. I appreciate your presence and the support. I’ll see you next round. Thank you very much.” Then he walked off.
At his news conference later, he explained that he will not speak to Australian broadcaster Channel 9 until he receives an apology for on-air comments made by one of its employees, Tony Jones. Djokovic said Jones, whom he did not name, "made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments toward me."
Djokovic said he will continue to avoid speaking to the network.
There is plenty at stake at this tournament for both No. 3 seed Alcaraz, who is 21, and No. 7 Djokovic, who is 37.
Djokovic said that playing Alcaraz reminds him “of my matchups versus (Rafael) Nadal, in terms of the intensity and the energy on the court. He’s a very dynamic, explosive player. Incredibly talented. Charismatic player. Great to watch; not that great to play against.”
Alcaraz seeks to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam with at least one trophy from all four of the most prestigious events in tennis. His four so far came elsewhere: two at Wimbledon by virtue of wins over Djokovic in the 2023 and 2024 finals, and one apiece at the U.S. Open in 2022 and the French Open last year.
Djokovic, meanwhile, is trying to claim an 11th title in Melbourne to become the first player in tennis history with 25 major singles championships. Sunday’s win allowed him to tie Roger Federer for the most quarterfinal appearances by man at the Australian Open, with 15.
Djokovic leads the overall head-to-head against Alcaraz 4-3, including a victory in the final at the Paris Olympics last August to claim a gold medal for Serbia.
At the majors, though, Alcaraz leads 2-1.
“If I think about everything he has done in tennis, I couldn’t play. I mean, 24 Grand Slam, the most weeks at No. 1 — everything. He almost broke every record in tennis. I’m trying not to think about that when I’m in the match. I’m just trying ... to beat him,” Alcaraz said. “I know my weapons. I know that (if) I’m able to play good tennis against him, I’m able to beat him.”
On Sunday, Alcaraz was ahead 7-5, 6-1 when Draper decided he couldn't continue. He'd been dealing with physical issues after winning each of his first three matches at Melbourne Park in five sets.
“It's not the way I want to win a match, to get through to the next round,” Alcaraz said. “Happy to play another quarterfinal here in Australia, but a little bit sad for Jack.”
Sunday's match goes into the books as a victory for Alcaraz, his first against a top-20 opponent at the Australian Open. He pulled even with Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker and Mats Wilander for the highest number of major quarterfinal appearances before 22.
Alcaraz's best run at Melbourne Park was getting to the quarterfinals last year, before losing at that stage to Alexander Zverev. The other quarterfinal on the bottom half of the men's bracket will be No. 2 Zverev against No. 12 Tommy Paul.
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