Djokovic and Alcaraz in the same draw? A rarity!
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are the top seeds in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome. That the two even take part in the same tournament is a rarity.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: May 09, 2023, 08:12 am
A little over a year ago, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic in a thrilling match at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid. The inclined tennis fan could hope that two heavyweights of the sport would meet here on a longer route with many exciting duels . But as the saying goes: "Hoping and waiting makes some fools."
Because since then, Djokovic and Alcaraz have seen each other off the court, but there has been no further performance comparison on the court. The reasons for this were initially organizational (i.e. Djokovic’s entry ban to North America last summer) and then health (Alcaraz was unable to take part in the ATP Finals 2022 or the Australian Open earlier this year).
Sinner prevents Djokovic and Alcaraz from meeting
In total, since that meeting in the Caja Magica, there have only been four tournaments in which both Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz were noted in the same draw, all of them in the last season: In Roland Garros, both were eliminated in the quarterfinals (Alcaraz against Alexander Zverev, Djokovic against Rafael Nadal) would have met in the semifinals. A few weeks later in Wimbledon, Jannik Sinner prevented a quarter-final between the Spaniard and the eventual tournament winner by beating Acaraz.
After the long compulsory summer break for Novak Djokovic, there could have been a showdown in Astana, but Carlos Alcaraz was eliminated in his first match (Djokovic won the 500 in the Kazakh capital). And in Paris-Bercy both fell victim to the champion Holger Rune.
Question mark behind fitness
So what are the chances in Rome that there will finally be the second summit between the Serbian legend and Alcaraz? Not that good at all, even if "Carlitos" arrives with the tournament victory in Madrid behind them. But no matter how well the 20-year-old has played in the recent past, the memory of the elimination in Miami against Jannik Sinner is still fresh. At some point, Alcaraz was just physically exhausted after his run in Indian Wells. And there are a few question marks behind Novak Djokovic's physical condition as well.
Here the single tableau in Rome
rommap