Alcaraz said Djokovic’s serve was punishingly difficult to return because it was so difficult to read. He was hoping for a similar effect from his revamped delivery.
“I’d say he doesn’t hit the fastest serve, but it’s super accurate. Like, you can’t read it. It’s really, really hard to read it. It’s really close to the lines and his ball is like sleeping when it hits the ground. Like I said, it’s really hard to see and return it.”
Alcaraz has yet to win an Australian Open title.Credit: Eddie Jim
“That’s what makes, you know, his serve really good … sometimes you have to go for accuracy more than speed.
He hopes the difference in serve will also be the difference in this elusive Grand Slam. Alcaraz reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne for the third time in a row, but it remains the only Grand Slam title he has yet to win.
Before Alex de Minaur’s match against Alexandre Bublik takes place on Sunday night, Alcaraz could face the home favorite in the quarter-finals.
With a punishing 43-degree heat forecast for Tuesday when Alcaraz returns to the court, the Spaniard was phlegmatic in handling the heat.
“You have to get used to everything. I have to control the things I can control. You know, if it’s going to be really, really hot on Tuesday and the roof is closed, I have to accept that and just try to play my best tennis indoors.”
“Whatever it is, I’m going to be ready. I’m going to focus. I’m going to try not to think about it. I’m going to try not to let it affect my game at all, and I think that’s it.”
“So that’s going to be my mindset … we have to play our best tennis under all conditions.
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He added that he had not played with the roof closed in Melbourne before.
Alcaraz was authoritative at key moments against the impressive Paul, who came out hard, breaking Alcaraz in his opening game on serve to take the first set to a tie-break.
“In the first match on my serve, he started off pretty strong. I thought I played a good match and I lost.”
It was the start of the first marathon, which stretched to 72 minutes, including a 14-minute delay during the tie-break due to a medical emergency for a spectator in the stands.
Alcaraz always had time. At one critical point, he sat down at the net under a dropped ball. He took his hand off the racquet, wiped his palm on his shorts, blew on his fingers to dry them, and grabbed the racquet again, still having time to wait for the ball to land and bounce it.
Alexander Zverev is fighting for his first Grand Slam title.Credit: AP
Even he smiled at his mediocre work. Few take their hand off the racket and still win a point. But hey, she’s world number one, even if she owes it to her predecessor.
Meanwhile, last year’s Australian Open runner-up, Alexander Zverev, remained elusive in his quest for a first Grand Slam title as he defeated Francisco Cerundolo 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals.
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The 28-year-old German has lost all three Grand Slam title fights he has entered, including last year’s final with Jannik Sinner at Melbourne Park, and has gone under the radar this time around as he looks for another opportunity.
“I’m very happy with the match and the performance. Really happy to be back in the quarterfinals,” Zverev said on court, avoiding a question about whether he was playing his best tennis.
“I don’t want to jinx it, I’ll keep my mouth shut. But to get to the quarter-finals you have to play at a high level. I hope to continue in the same way.”
With Reuters
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