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Carlos Alcaraz headlines the 2024 Australian Open men's draw along with top seed Novak Djokovic. The Spaniard will look to usurp the Serb who's triumphed a record 10 times Down Under.
Alcaraz missed out on last year's event after hurting his hamstring and last played at Melbourne Park when he was an 18-year-old ranked outside the top 30. He walks into the event this year, however, as the defending Wimbledon champion, a former world No.1, and a firm favorite.
Alcaraz's quest for a third Grand Slam triumph at the Australian Open 2024 is certainly within reach and will begin on Sunday against Richard Gasquet. He will likely meet No. 6 seed Alexander Zverev in the quarters and No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev for a place in the final. All eyes will be on a Wimbledon final repeat as both Alcaraz and Djokovic set off on their finals collision course.
So, without further ado, here's a look at Alcaraz's projected path to a first Australian Open final:
Carlos Alcaraz's 1R opponent - Richard Gasquet
Carlos Alcaraz is slated to begin his quest for a first title in Melbourne against the legendary and sentimental favorite Richard Gasquet on Sunday.
Playing in his whopping 22nd season on the tour, Gasquet recently dropped out of the top 100 in the rankings after he'd been in it for 956 consecutive weeks, since April 2005 to be precise. He's reached the 4th round four times in Melbourne (2007, 2008, 2012, 2013), and while that record is unlikely to change, his encounter with Alcaraz is surely set to draw a lot of attention.
Alcaraz has won their only meeting in the past and will look to do the same come Sunday.
Carlos Alcaraz's likely 2R opponent - Dan Evans
A Carlos Alcaraz vs Dan Evans second-round clash is on the cards at the Australian Open provided both of them win their first-round matches.
Evans' best showing in Australia came in 2017 when he reached the fourth round, beating Marin Cilic and Bernard Tomic along the way. He enters the tournament on the back of a second-round defeat to Alexander Bublik in Adelaide earlier this week.
Evans is down 0-4 to Alcaraz in their head-to-head and lost all three of their meetings last year.
Carlos Alcaraz's likely 3R opponent - Alexander Bublik
Carlos Alcaraz will likely face a tricky test against Alexander Bublik in a possible third-round encounter.
Ranked No. 25 in the world currently, Bublik began his 2024 campaign earlier this week in Adelaide. He beat James Mccabe and Dan Evans in the opening two rounds and has set up a quarterfinal encounter with Italian sensation Lorenzo Musetti.
Bublik hasn't fared too well at the Australian Open in the past, not having gone past the second round ever in his career.
In what could be a first meeting between the pair, there is no discounting that the unorthodox Kazakh could give Alcaraz a tough test.
Carlos Alcaraz's likely 4R opponent - Tommy Paul
Carlos Alcaraz will lock horns with Tommy Paul in the fourth round should both players move safely into the second week at the Australian Open, in what could prove to be a high-octane encounter.
The American has been on quite the rise for some time now, breaking into the top 15 and reaching the Australian Open semifinals last year.
Alcaraz and Paul have faced off four times on tour with the honors being split. All but one of their matches have gone the distance with both players bringing the best out of each other with their respective game styles.
Carlos Alcaraz's likely quarterfinal opponent - Alexander Zverev
Carlos Alcaraz could set up a potential thrilling quarterfinal against Alexander Zverev if he makes the last eight at the Australian Open for the first time.
Zverev's best result in Melbourne came back in 2020 when he reached the semifinals, ultimately falling to fifth seed Dominic Thiem in four sets.
Zverev is riding high on confidence after lifting the United Cup with Germany last week, in what was a first in his career after multiple attempts. He also looks like he has found his old form back after the sickening ankle injury that not only sidelined him but also changed the complexion of his game.
Zverev and Alcaraz have faced off 7 times on the tour with the German inching their head-to-head by 1. The German won their first-ever match in Acapulco and their most recent one at the ATP World Tour finals where he edged out the Spaniard in a grueling three-set contest.
Carlos Alcaraz's likely SF opponent - Daniil Medvedev
Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev could face off in a blockbuster semifinal should they both proceed through their draws.
Medvedev just like Alcaraz is yet to feature this season, having last played the World Tennis League in December last year. He won that tournament with the Eagles team.
The Russian comes into this year's tournament looking to rub off the disappointment of last year when he lost to Sebastian Korda in straight sets in the third round and replicate the same form that saw him reach the finals consecutively in 2021 and 2022.
Medvedev and Alcaraz have crossed paths five times on the tour up until now, with the Spaniard leading the race 3-2. Alcaraz won their last encounter at the ATP World Tour finals last season, but Medvedev prevailed in their last Grand Slam encounter at last year's US Open.
Carlos Alcaraz's likely finals opponent - Novak Djokovic
World No. 1 and whopping ten-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic is arguably the man to beat.
Touted the King of Melbourne, almost everybody expects Djokovic to be there come finals day. The Serb somehow always seems to find his best form Down Under and has been doing so consistently for the past 15 years now. He has taken home the title in over half of his 18 main-draw appearances dating back to 2005.
Djokovic enters the 2024 Australian Open on the back of a hugely successful 2023 season where he won three grand slams and finished the season as the year-end No. 1. Proving age is just a number on the tour, Djokovic still looks like the man everybody is chasing.
Djokovic and Alcaraz have faced off five times up until now, with the Serb edging it 3-2. He may have won their last two encounters at the World Tour Finals and in Cincinnati, but Alcaraz won their last Grand Slam duel in a Wimbledon epic last year.
Despite Djokovic being the superior hardcourt player at the moment, the prospect of a match between the pair is what dreams are made of for tennis fans.
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