Carlos Alcaraz to face Novak Djokovic in semifinals of ATP Finals
It's the fourth time they'll meet this year, and it will take place on the fourth different surface.
Carlos Alcaraz's 6-4, 6-4 round-robin win over Daniil Medvedev on Friday at the ATP Finals meant more than just qualification for the semifinals—it meant another match-up against Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz, the world No. 2 and Wimbledon champion, and Djokovic, the world No. 1 and champion at all of the other Grand Slams, have meet three times this year. Their Roland Garros semifinal had the hallmarks of a classic until injury befell the Spaniard at the beginning of the third set. But we got a certifiied classic—twice—in the subsequent months: Alcaraz went on to defeat Djokovic in a five-set Wimbledon final, before the Serbian turned the tables in the Cincinnati final, saving match points in a match of arguably equal (if not greater) quality.
Before they meet again on Saturday—for the fifth time overall, and for the first time on an indoor hard court—look back at the previous iterations of Carlitos vs. Nole. If this one is anything like the others, we're in for something special.
2022 Madrid semifinals (clay): Alcaraz d. Djokovic, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5)
2023 Roland Garros semifinals (clay): Djokovic d. Alcaraz, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1
2022 Wimbledon final (grass): Alcaraz d. Djokovic, 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
READ: Wimbledon champ Carlos Alcaraz shows us there’s no need to rein in expectations for him