Ricky’s pick for the Australian Open quarterfinal between Alcaraz and Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Novak Djokovic Part 8 is on!

As expected when the draw ceremony was conducted a couple of weeks ago, Alcaraz and Djokovic will square off in the Australian Open quarterfinals on Tuesday night. It marks their eighth meeting, and what a rivalry it has been so far.

Djokovic leads the head-to-head series 4-3 after winning an epic Paris Olympics gold-medal match in a pair of tiebreakers last summer. Alcaraz has won both of their completed Grand Slam encounters, each one in the Wimbledon final–a thriller in 2023 and a beatdown in 2024. Djokovic has won both of their previous hard-court meetings, one indoors and one outdoors.

It is also tough to separate these two competitors based on current form. Alcaraz has been decent so far in Melbourne after struggling toward the end of last season. The third-ranked Spaniard dropped a set to Nuno Borges in round three but for the most part has cruised. Djokovic surrendered a set to both Nishesh Basavareddy and Jaime Faria before crushing Tomas Machac and Jiri Lechecka.

The one clear difference is history at Melbourne Park. Djokovic is a laughable 98-9 lifetime at this event with 10 titles. For Alcaraz, it is his worst of the four Grand Slams. The sample size is relatively small, of course, but he has never reached the semis Down Under and this is only his second appearance in the quarters.

The bottom line is that I’m not betting against Djokovic at the Aussie Open…at least not against anyone other than Jannik Sinner.

Pick: Djokovic in 5

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.