Carlos Alcaraz’s vicious snipers should remember Novak Djokovic’s uncertain start
Carlos Alcaraz’s crushing defeat against Alexander Zverev inspired some critics to suggest his rise to the top of the game has run into a serious roadblock.
Yet the cynics who are already writing off a two-time Grand Slam champion who has yet to toast his 21st birthday need to be cautious in their pessimistic obituaries to a player who has only just begun his rise up the tennis ladder.
Alcaraz insisted he was happy with his Australian Open efforts despite falling to a disappointing quarter-final loss against Alexander Zverev.
The Wimbledon champion had been in excellent form in Melbourne and threatened a comeback after a slow start but it was Zverev who moved through to the last four thanks to a 6-1 6-3 6-7 (2) 6-4 victory clinched at 1.19am.
In his seventh Grand Slam semi-final, Zverev will take on third seed Daniil Medvedev, who earlier battled past Hubert Hurkacz in five sets.
Alcaraz was heavily fancied to make it an all top-four semi-final line-up but he looked very tight at the start and Zverev took full advantage, barely missing a first serve and striking his groundstrokes with power and precision.
The German has faced a lot of off-court scrutiny regarding his forthcoming domestic abuse trial – he denies the allegations – but his ability as a tennis player is unquestionable.
Alcaraz briefly rallied in the second set but he was staring at defeat inside two hours when Zverev served for victory at 5-3 in the third.
The Spaniard was not done yet, finally breaking Zverev’s serve and then playing a sublime tie-break, but ultimately there were too many errors from his racket.
This was Alcaraz’s best run in Melbourne, and he said: “It has been a good tournament for me, making quarter-finals, playing good tennis.
“I’m sad with my level today, because I have been playing good tennis, the round before this one with a lot of confidence. Serving pretty well.
“But in general I leave the tournament happy. Forgetting about today’s level. Obviously, quarter-final of a grand slam is good. It’s not what I’m looking for, but it’s not bad.
“It’s a shame that I started the match like the way that I did and ending the way that I did. But it’s tennis.”
It didn’t take long for the snipers to suggest Alcaraz had been found out at the highest level after Zverev bossed him for long periods of their quarter-final.
READ MORE: Nick Kyrgios makes Carlos Alcaraz ‘human’ claim as he reacts to ‘insane’ Alexander Zverev win
Many of those who appeared to enjoy Alcaraz’s demise appeared to be Novak Djokovic fans on X, who were quick to post messages celebrating the demise of the youngster who beat their hero in last summer’s Wimbledon final.
Yet before the gloom merchants delight in the failings of Alcaraz, they would be wise to reflect on the early record of Djokovic.
The Serbian developed an unfortunate reputation early in his career for being a quitter in big matches due to injury and coming up short against big rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
The statistics confirm Djokovic had won just three Grand Slam titles from his first 27 major tournaments.
This compares to Alcaraz’s two Grand Slam wins at the 2022 US Open and 2023 Wimbledon even though he had only played in 12 Grand Slam events.
Those statistics put Alcaraz’s incredible achievements in the game into perspective and he can return to Spain in the knowledge that he played against an inspired Zverev who barely missed a first serve throughout the match.
The German fired 94 of his 111 first serves into the service box, with his 85 per cent record in that element of the game making it tough for Alcaraz to respond.
If he continues to produce tennis of that quality for the rest of the tournament, it will be hard for anyone to live with him and Alcaraz’s defeat against Zverev may be put into some perspective if he goes on to win the title in Melbourne.
Alcaraz has said he believes he can challenge the incredible records Djokovic has set over the course of his career and those writing him off now should remember that be could still have 15 years and more than 60 Grand Slams to play before his powers begin to wane.
