Making his return to the Australian Open after two years, Carlos Alcaraz has expressed his desire to take down ‘almost unbeaten’ Novak Djokovic. The 2-time Grand Slam champion claimed that he’s ‘extra motivated’ to take the Australian Open 2024 despite Djokovic having an impeccable record at the slam.
Before his round of 128 match against veteran Richard Gasquet, in his pre-match press conference, Alcaraz was asked: “I know it’s a long way to go, but this is Novak’s court. Almost nobody beats him here. Does that give you more motivation?”
To this, Carlos Alcaraz replied: Yeah, it’s an extra motivation for me. I’m an ambitious guy. I always want to play against the best players in the world to see what is my level. Obviously it’s a good test, playing against him in the places or in the tournament that he’s almost unbeaten. I’m looking to reach the final & hopefully play a final against him. It would be great obviously. But, yeah, knowing those stats, it’s an extra motivation, for sure.”
Carlos Alcaraz’s record at Australian Open
Carlos Alcaraz has not played at the Australian Open since 2022. His record at the slam isn’t too flattering; he played most of his matches there before he made his mark. He has a win percentage of just 60 at the AO, with just three wins in five matches. With his best result being a third-round exit.
The last time he played the Happy Slam, he was seeded 31, whereas he’ll enter AO this year seeded 2.