Tennis
Djokovic: “With Alcarath it’s like when we played at our best with Nadal”
After his victory at the Cincinnati Masters, Novak Djokovic praised Carlos Alcarat for his quality and emphasized that the games with him are at the level he played with Nadal at his best.
In a thrilling final of 3 hours and 49 minutes, Novak Djokovic, who was struggling with heat stroke, managed the big surprise against Carlos Alcarath and won the Cincinnati Masters 1-2 in sets.
The world number two, who has won 39 Masters trophies, idolized the Spanish tennis player, stressing that the matches he plays with him reminded him of the ones against Nadal.
“It was one of the most exciting and difficult games I’ve ever played in my entire career, mentally, emotionally and physically. It was a real roller coaster ride. I don’t think I’ve played many games like this in my career.” We can maybe compare it to the 2012 Australian Open final with Nadal. This time it was 3 sets but we played almost 4 hours. In the 3rd set I had many chances, even for a double break. The match point at 5-3 was incredible and a clue to what happened in that game.
About if he’s surprised at how mentally strong Alkarath is: “Now I’m not surprised. Maybe last year or the beginning of the year I was surprised by what he did, how he won the big games and the big tournaments. It was amazing what you can do with it.” The guy just has to take his hat off. He plays with so much maturity and handles the pressure extremely well for a 20-year-old. We mustn’t forget how young he is.
The feeling he gives me when I face him is like when I faced Nadal in the best time of both of us. Every point is a fight. It’s amazing what I experience with him there. All the games we played were like that.”
On his serve, which worried him in a few moments of the game: “I didn’t serve as well as I did in the rest of the tournament, but I also played under completely different conditions. I played 4 games at night and in the sun this afternoon. It was very hot and sometimes unbearable.” . My serve today made life difficult for me because I had to play more big rallies.
When you’re in a big tournament against one of the best players in the world, you can’t just sit back and stay focused all the time. When I’ve lost my serve and it’s 5-5 or after I’ve lost 15-40, it affects you mentally. But I’m very happy with how I played the next game and later the tie-break. Overall it was a great race with ups and downs.
Source: sport 24
10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic (Serbia, ATP 4) reached the second round of the major.
Serbs in the first round Pedro Martínez (Spain, ATP 71) within 2 hours.
Australian Open 2026. 1/64 finals
Pedro Martinez (Spain) – Novak Djokovic (Serbia) [4] – 3:6, 2:6, 2:6
Djokovic played his first head-to-head match against Pedro.
Novak won his 100th Australian Open victory. Novak became the second player with over 100 wins in men’s singles matches at the Australian Open, after Roger Federer (102).
Djokovic also became the first tennis player to reach this mark in three different Grand Slam tournaments (101 – Roland Garros, 102 – Wimbledon). Novak has 95 wins at the US Open.
Djokovic is playing the 81st major of his career and is on a par with Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez in this indicator.
Novak’s next opponent will be Francesco Maestrelli (Italy, ATP 141) in the qualifiers.
Video review of the match
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infographics
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
37-year-old Croatian tennis player Marin Cilic (ATP 70) Made a successful start to the 2026 Australian Open.
In the first round, Croatia beat the German representative in three sets Daniel Altmaier (ATP 44) In 2 hours and 1 minute, he caused the opponent team to lose two balls in the first two matches.
Australian Open 2026. 1/64 finals
Daniel Altmaier (Germany) – Marin Cilic (Croatia) – 0:6, 0:6, 6:7 (3:7)
Cilic played his first head-to-head match against Altmaier.
Cilic became the first unseeded player since Philipp Petzschner at the 2012 Australian Open to win the first two sets of a match at a Grand Slam, 6-0.
It’s funny that Altmaier was red-capped three times in a row and lost 25 games in total. Before the Australian Open 2026, Daniel played in competitions in Adelaide and lost to Jauma Munyar 3:6, 0:6 in the first round, but was ahead with a score of 3:0.
Cilic will play against 21st-seeded Denis Shapovalov (Canada, ATP 23) in the second round of the major tournament in Melbourne.
Video review of the match
Photo gallery of the match
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
Tennis
Swiatek begins his journey to win his first Australian Open trophy with a hard-fought victory
January 19 Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek He made a successful start to the 2026 Australian Open.
In the first round, the Polish woman defeated the Chinese representative in two sets Yuan Yue (WTA 130) in 1 hour 57 minutes.
Australian Open 2026. 1/64 finals
Yuan Yue (China) [Q] – Iga Swiatek (Poland) [2] – 6:7 (5:7), 3:6
Returning with a score of 3:5 in the first game, Iga did not allow his opponent to serve for the set in the 10th game.
Swiatek played against Yuan Yue for the second time. At the end of September 2025, Iga defeated the Chinese woman in the second round of competition in Beijing.
Iga has yet to win the Australian Open trophy. Her next opponent will be Czech Maria Bouzkova (Czech Republic, WTA 44).
Swiatek became the first tennis player since Carolina Pliskova (25 consecutive wins from Wimbledon 2016 to Australian Open 2023) to win 25 or more consecutive opening matches in women’s singles Grand Slam tournaments.
Video review of the match
Photo gallery of the match
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
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