Novak Djokovic has learned his path to the title at the Australian Open, where he will attempt to finally win his 25th Grand Slam of his career.
The draw for the first Grand Slam of the season placed Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner in the same half of the bracket. If both manage to get through quite complex rounds, we could be in for a true spectacle — their showdown in the semifinals.
Novak has been placed in the bottom half of the draw alongside some of the most dangerous players in today’s game, but his experience in Melbourne and his incredible ability to bring out his best in big matches give him a strong chance of going deep into the tournament.
In the first round, Djokovic will face Spaniard Pedro Martínez, followed by France’s Altmaier, who is playing against a qualifier, and it could be said that the Serbian had some luck at the start of the tournament.
However, challenges begin as early as the third round. The first seeded obstacle on his path is American Brandon Nakashima, with the possibility of also facing Roberto Bautista Agut, Botic van de Zandschulp, or China’s Shang.
The round of 16 brings a potential clash with Jiří Menšík or Hubert Hurkacz, while the quarterfinals could feature a showdown with Lorenzo Musetti or Taylor Fritz, with Stefanos Tsitsipas, Grigor Dimitrov, and Jiří Lehečka also seeking their chance in that section.
As for Sinner, his route to Djokovic starts with Hugo Gaston, followed by James Duckworth, with the first major hurdle potentially being João Fonseca. The round of 16 could bring Karen Khachanov, and the quarterfinals Ben Shelton or Casper Ruud, so the Italian will not have an easy path either.
Carlos Alcaraz opens his tournament against Adam Walton, then Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann, before possibly facing Sebastian Korda or Corentin Moutet. The round of 16 could see him play Tommy Paul, while the quarterfinals may bring Alexander Bublik, Alex de Minaur, or Frances Tiafoe.
That quarter also includes Miomir Kecmanović, who faces Tomás Martín Etcheverry, and Hamad Medjedović, who will play Mariano Navone. Alexander Zverev, on his way to Alcaraz, could meet Andrey Rublev in the round of 16 and Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals.
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Source: Nova.rs, Foto: EPA/JAMES ROSS