Australian Open 2024: Alcaraz gets rid of Sinner, threat to Djokovic | Tennis | Sports

The organization of the Australian Open carried out the draw for the main draws this Thursday and the conclusion at first glance is simple: there is no escape for anyone. The first major of the season begins next Sunday and luck has given us a glimpse of the theoretical path of the main contenders, which are essentially two: Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. Neither of them will have an easy life, both routes are demanding, but the Murcian at least has the satisfaction of having avoided a third element which, given what happened during the autumn, could alter prolonged melee throughout the year. in recent months between Spanish and Serbian. His name is Jannik Sinner, he appears strong and assumes, a priorithe biggest threat to Nole.

The 36-year-old Balkan player will start against a player from the qualifying round and will find no respite in his hypothetical progression. He could cross Alexei Popyrin, Andy Murray and the Scotsman, curves and more curves. The American Ben Shelton has already left a good taste in his mouth at the US Open – where he lost, precisely, against Belgrade in the semi-final – and the ramp would tilt for him in the quarter-finals, with the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas as a potential stumbling block. . Then would come the crossover with the emerging Sinner, who had already played against him during the last edition of the Masters Cup; Now, when push came to shove, with the title on the line, Djokovic made no concessions.

The champion of the 24 major tournaments aspires to extend his hegemony in Melbourne, a stage that he has made his own in the same way that Paris belongs to the absent Rafael Nadal or Wimbledon to Roger Federer. Of the last five trophies up for grabs, Djokovic has won four, bringing his total to ten. He is the man to beat and Alcaraz is the great alternative. The 20-year-old Murcian was the only one capable of defeating him in the 2023 Grand Slam and now reappears in Australia after being unable to attend a year ago due to a last-minute injury. Like number one, a path strewn with multiple traps awaits him and he will have to paddle hard from the first stations.

From the outset, the one from El Palmar will face the veteran Richard Gasquet, a good touchstone, and if the Frenchman wins, he could face the Briton Daniel Evans, a man who has already made him suffer for a long time at the US Open. At the third stop the indecipherable Alexander Bublik appears, a real test of concentration, and at the next stop the draw slips the name of the American Tommy Paul, with whom he ties (2-2) in the previous ones. Two rounds are described below: Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev. The latter was his executioner in New York and reached the Australian final in 2021 and 2022.

Among women, Spanish tennis regains the advantage of Paula Badosa. The Catalan, 26 years old and 74th in the world, will reappear in Melbourne after an extended break following a back injury. She will first face Taylor Townsend, 80th in the WTA. Sara Sorribes, the one who has the best ranking a (52nd), awaits a rival of the previous one; Cristina Bucsa will face Russian Anna Blinkova; and Rebeka Masarova will face Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

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