Alcaraz Faces Potential Djokovic Clash in Quarterfinals

Carlos Alcaraz may face Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. The tournament's major surprise was confirmed early Thursday morning during the draw for the first Grand Slam of the season, which begins next Sunday, January 12.

Due to his position as world number seven, the Serbian could face either Jannik Sinner or Alcaraz in this round, and he drew the Spaniard. The good news for the Murcian is that he avoids the Italian until a potential final.

The current world number three and contender to become the youngest in history to win all four Grand Slams will debut against Kazakhstan's Alexander Shevchenko, whom he defeated by losing only three games in the past Madrid Masters 1000.

According to the draw's projection based on rankings, Alcaraz could face Yoshihito Nishioka or a qualifier in the second round, Jordan Thompson or Alexander Muller in the third, Jack Draper or Sebastian Korda in the fourth round, and the aforementioned Djokovic in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, Alcaraz could have a hypothetical clash with Alexander Zverev, along with other possible opponents like Casper Ruud or Tommy Paul, while the final could see Sinner, Taylor Fritz, or Daniil Medvedev.

The Australian Open will be Alcaraz's first official event in 2025, after playing an exhibition with Alex de Minaur and training at the Rod Laver Arena with Djokovic. This year also marks the opportunity to complete the possible Grand Slam in Melbourne and a chance for revenge for the throne against Sinner, who currently holds a 4,820-point lead at the top of the rankings. The Italian, however, defends the 2,000 points he earned last year when he claimed his first Grand Slam, while Alcaraz can gain up to 1,600, having reached the quarterfinals last year, where he was ousted by Zverev.

As for the rest of the Spaniards, Pablo Carreño will debut against a qualifier, Roberto Bautista against Denis Shapovalov, Jaume Munar against Casper Ruud, Alejandro Davidovich against Juncheng Shang, Roberto Carballés against Alejandro Tabilo, and Pedro Martínez against Luciano Darderi.

Additionally, Martín Landaluce won his three qualifying matches and awaits his opponent in what will be the first Grand Slam of his career.

In the women's draw, Jessica Bouzas will start the tournament against Sonay Kartal, Cristina Bucsa against Chloe Paquet, Nuria Párrizas against Iva Jovic, and Spain's top player, Paula Badosa, will play against Xinyu Wang.

The Catalan reached the third round last year, presenting a great opportunity to earn points and break into the top ten, which is currently 200 points away. With an already challenging debut against Wang, the world number 37, Badosa's draw does not improve, with potential matches against Marta Kostyuk (18) in the third round, Jessica Pegula (7) in the fourth round, and Coco Gauff (3) in the quarterfinals, as well as Aryna Sabalenka (1) in the semifinals and Iga Swiatek (2) in the final.