Revenge mission
Carlos Alcaraz is looking to get one over on Novak Djokovic after losing their previous two encounters at the Australian Open in January and in the Paris Olympics gold medal match.
The Spanish star said: “Novak, we all know Novak’s game. It doesn’t matter that he has been out of the Tour since Wimbledon.
“[He’s] playing great matches here. I know he’s hungry. I know his ambition for more, so let’s see.
“I know I played a lot of times against him. I really want revenge. That’s obvious.”
‘Mess up’ the Sinner vs Alcaraz rivalry
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have dominated tennis this year, with them meeting in five finals, including the last two Slams, within the last year.
Novak Djokovic is likely to have to beat both to clinch glory in New York as the Italian faces Felix Auger Aliassime in the other semi.
On disrupting the Sinner-Alcaraz dominance, Djokovic said: “Everybody is probably expecting and anticipating the final between the two of them.
“I’m going to try to mess up the plans of most of the people.”
‘Not sure how the body will feel’
After beating Taylor Fritz in the last round, Novak Djokovic revealed concerns over his fitness, saying: “I’m going to try to take one day at a time. Really take care of my body. Try to relax and recover.
“The next couple of days is really key for me to really get my body in shape and ready to battle five sets if it’s needed.
“I just would really love to be fit enough to play and to play, potentially five sets with Carlos. I know that my best tennis is going to be required, but I’d rise to the occasion.
“Normally I like to play the big matches on a big stage. It’s just that I’m not really sure how the body is going to feel in the next few days.
“But I’m going to do my very best with my team to be fit for that.
“There’s going to be a lot of running involved, that’s for sure. It’s not going to be short points.”
Alcaraz’s path to the semi-final
Carlos Alcaraz has not dropped a set but has not come up against a player ranked inside the world’s top 20 yet.
- Round One: Reilly Opelka in straight sets
- Round Two: Mattia Bellucci in straight sets
- Round Three: Luciano Darderi in straight sets
- Round Four: Arthur Rinderknech in straight sets
- Quarter-Final: Jiri Lehecka in straight sets
Djokovic’s path to the semi-final
Novak Djokovic has dumped three Americans out of the tournament en route to tonight’s semi.
- Round One: Learner Tien in straight sets
- Round Two: Zachary Svajda in straight sets
- Round Three: Cameron Norrie in four sets
- Round Four: Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets
- Quarter-Final: Taylor Fritz in four sets
Super semi-final
Welcome to SunSport’s LIVE coverage of the blockbuster men’s US Open semi-final clash between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
The Serbian icon is in the hunt for his record-breaking 25th Grand Slam victory.
Djokovic is currently tied at the top of the all-time charts with 24 major wins with Margaret Court.
Victory at Flushing Meadows this year would cement him as the undoubted greatest to ever step foot on a tennis court.
But aged 38 and without a Slam title since 2023, time is ticking for Djokovic.
As for Alcaraz, he and rival Jannik Sinner are the new big hitters in the sport.
The Spaniard is already a five-time Slam champion at the age of 22 and he has cruised through his matches so far without dropping a set.
Alcaraz last lost a match that was not a final back in March when he suffered a shock second round defeat to David Goffin at the Miami Open.