Australian Open 2025 [Men] - Grand Slam

[PhiEaglesfan712]

Fonseca will soon be blowing those two out of the court...


(I am exaggerating a bit, but let me have some fun. But, the serious part of it is that after watching some of the Fonseca matches the others seem a bit in slow motion, including this one).

At least Fonseca will have players like Mensik and Tien to rival him.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Just finished watching the 4th set

Carlos at times lacks the Killer Instinct, he got distracted when Novak was carrying on with his left leg , he should have stepped up more and took advantage of the situation but he didnt and then suddenly Novak can run on both wings get to drop shots? we have seen this movie before many times with Novak as Kskate said earlier before she had to go
Another point is that Carlos dosent seem to have a B plan? , when his A game isnt working, that is a worrying sign, mind games is a big part of tennis at this level, Carlos needs to be more aware and equipped when he next plays Novak. I didnt think he could win before I went to bed
BTW There is still time for Carlos to be the youngest career GS winner, if he can win the AO title in 2026.

 

[El Dude]

Fonseca will soon be blowing those two out of the court...


(I am exaggerating a bit, but let me have some fun. But, the serious part of it is that after watching some of the Fonseca matches the others seem a bit in slow motion, including this one).

Well, I'm with you in that I'm bonding to Fonzie in a way that I haven't to any player in the post-Roger era. Or at least glimmers of it. I also remember a conversation here in which some of us were discussing how Rafa's and Novak's defense neutralized Roger's offense, and we were speculating on what sort of player could neutralize their defense. While we won't get the pleasure of seeing Joao vs. Rafa, and I don't think we'll get prime Joao (say, 2-3 years from now) vs. Novak, but he might be the answer to that question. In that sense, i'm very much looking forward to seeing how he develops and matches up against Sinner and Alcaraz. How good he becomes relative remains to be seen...but all signs look very promising.

 

[El Dude]

At least Fonseca will have players like Mensik and Tien to rival him.

It is too early to say definitively, but I don't see those guys on the same level of potential as Fonseca. Tien to me looks like he'll max out in the De Minaur/Ruud range...which is very good, but very much what is sometimes called "second tier." The Ferrer of his generation, maybe. Mensik has more upside, imo, but I see his max potential being more Zverev/Medvedev...a tier up, but I see Fonzie as the best hope to make it a Big Three.

Rune...forever the wildcard, but I'm sort of coming to feel that he's going to be somewhere in that Zverev/Medvedev to Rublev/Fritz zone.

 

[El Dude]

Novak is 4-1 vs. Alcaraz in their last five meetings, 5-3 overall. He's 4-4 vs. Sinner, losing their last three meetings, and 1-4 in their last five. In other words, Novak has seemingly figured Carlos out, but not Jannik.

 

[Vince Evert]

Novak Djokovic survives Aus Open epic as fans turn on Carlos Alcaraz for 'mocking' injured great...​

Novak Djokovic defied an upper leg injury to stun World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Tuesday night and keep his quest for a record 25th grand slam singles title alive. The 10-time champion at Melbourne Park appeared down and out after clutching at his left leg in the opening set, with Alcaraz accused of 'mocking' the Serb's injury at one point in the veteran's 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 victory.

Djokovic grabbed at his leg and could be seen wincing in pain at the end of a taxing point against the Spaniard. The Serb looked in discomfort before having his serve broken to go down 4-5, before calling a medical timeout to have his left thigh strapped and returned to court, but was no match to prevent Alcaraz claiming the opening set.

Fans and commentators were concerned the 37-year-old would not be able to finish the match but the break seemed to re-energise Djokovic and he came out firing in the second set. The 10-time champ clearly looked limited in his movement and struggled to deal with most of Alcaraz's drop shots but it freed him up to go for bigger winners and the tactic paid off handsomely.

The writing seemed to be on the wall when Djokovic squandered a 3-0 lead and Alcaraz broke back to get the second set on level terms, with Djokovic still struggling. But the Serb found another gear and once again seemed to able to push through the pain barrier to claim the second set and square up the match.

Djokovic never looked back from that moment and Alcaraz appeared to become increasingly frustrated as he struggled to overcome an opponent 16 years his senior, who appeared to be on one leg. And when Djokovic took out a more straightforward third set to take a 2-1 advantage, the frustrations appeared to boil over for Alcaraz at the change over.

Carlos Alcaraz accused of 'mocking' Novak Djokovic injury​

The Spaniard could be seen getting up from his chair and hobbling around the side of the court grabbing at the back of one of his legs, right near where Djokovic was sitting. ALcaraz may well have been feeling the effects of a tough match and battling his own injury, but plenty of viewers, including tennis legend John McEnroe, suggested the 21-year-old did not really believe the seriousness of Djokovic's injury.

It's not the first time the Serb has played through a tournament with an injury that would floor most other players. Djokovic famously won the 2023 title at Melbourne Park after claims he had a 3cm muscle tear in his hamstring. And speaking on Eurosport before the fourth set, McEnroe and tennis analyst James Blake suggested Alcaraz was trying to give Djokovic a taste of his own mind games by acting injured.

“He’s kind of limping around. Then he gets up and does it again," Blake said on Eurosport's coverage. "Limping around and sitting down. He’s obviously fine. Just acting like he’s got an injury. He’s being Novak.” The TV analyst clearly thought the frustrations had gotten the better of the Spaniard, with tennis great John McEnroe saying, "I don't blame him," as if to suggest that he was skeptical about Djokovic's injury too.

Whether Alcaraz was mocking Djokovic or actually injured may never be known, but what is clear is that Djokovic has plenty of fight left in the twilight of his career. And the Serb is not ready just yet to pass the torch onto the next generation of stars such as Alcaraz after describing the epic four-set win as worthy of a final.

Novak Djokovic relieved after coming through injury scare​

"I just wish this match today was a final," Djokovic said without going into detail about his injury. "One of the most epic matches I have played on this court, on any court really. If I lost the second set, I don't know if I would continue playing. I felt better and better and managed to play a great couple of games to end out the second set."

If Djokovic is able to win a record-extending 11th Australian Open title, it would make him the most successful singles player of all-time, breaking the record of 24 majors he shares with Australia's Margaret Court. Djokovic's next match is a mouthwatering semi-final against German second seed Alexander Zverev, who beat American Tommy Paul 7-6 (7/1) 7-6 (7/0) 2-6 6-1.

Zvervev is aiming to win his first major title but if Djokovic can get past Zverev, it would be his 100th win at the Australian Open. World No.1 Jannik Sinner could be all that stands between him and becoming the undisputed greatest of all-time but the Italian of course has to get past local favourite Alex de Minaur in Wednesday night's quarter-final first.

Andrew Reid
Yahoo Sports, Onlin
Wed, 22 January 2025 at 7:15 am AEDT

 

[El Dude]

^That is rather disappointing coming from Alcaraz. Kid should learn a bit of respect.

 

[Vince Evert]

Alcaraz's Presser...



Novak's Presser...,

 

[Vince Evert]

^That is rather disappointing coming from Alcaraz. Kid should learn a bit of respect.

Can't comment as i did not watch ALL of the match. Gave up at about 4 games all in the first due to sad news on death of a family relative, aged 93.

 

[Vince Evert]

Just found me some match-stats which is the next best thing to watching tennis:

DJO 3-1 ALC | Novak Djokovic - Carlos Alcaraz

www.flashscore.com.au

Lots of unforced errors by both players: Carlos had 40 to Djokovic's 27.

Carlos leads the winners stats by 50 to Djokovic's 31.

Total Points Won 52% (135/261) for Djokovic to 48% (126/261) for Alcaraz.