January 2025 – TennisReporters.net

After the first set, it looked like Novak Djokovic might retire, as Carlos Alcaraz was on fire, and his upper left leg was super sore.

However, he taped it again, and then in the second set he gradually began to play so much better. He snapped it in the second set, and then eventually the amazing player Djokovic, won it, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

The Spaniard kept trying to break him down, but Djokovic kept churning, deep and close on the lines, with his hard forehand and his backhand. He also nailed his first serve and mixed it up with his second one. At times, he played terrific, returning, and he also went very low near the net and put it away. Yes, the 24 Grand Slam champion isn’t No. 1 now, but it doesn’t really matter, as even more than that, he wants to win another Grand Slam. The 38-year-old player always seems to add some new shots, and at the Australian Open on Tuesday night, he put together some incredible points. He is there, ready to beat anyone. Believe it or not, after winning, he said his match was one of the best ever.

“It’s one of the most epic matches I have played on this court, on any court really,” said Djokovic, who played three-hour, 37-minutes. “The medication started to kick in, and it helped no doubt. I had to take another dose, it sounds awful, but I had to. If I lost that second set, I don’t know if I would continue playing, but I felt better and better. I managed to play a great couple of games to end the second set. I saw that Carlos was hesitant from the back of the court, and I took my chances. I started to feel and move better.”

The Spaniard did push him back, rather than attack, earlier, but he didn’t. He is young, and he has won four Slams, so this year, Alcaraz has to rethink about what he has to do. His forehand, backhand and net play are terrific, but when he returned versus Djokovic, he couldn’t move left or right. The same thing. That was a big mistake, so he will learn coming up.

Djokovic was so pumped-up , and now he thinks he can beat Alexander Zverev in the semis. However, the German is also play fine ball.

“Novak is the greatest of all time right now. I think it’s it’s going to be a great match.” Zverev said.

Two of the Americans just won at the United Cup in Sydney, with Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff, who beat Poland.

The No. 3 Gauff out fought over the No. 2 Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-4, and before that, she had lost 11 matches. But not now, as the No. 3 Gauff is already on fire.

“She has a great head start so depending on how many more times we play, I don’t know if I’ll catch up,” Gauff said. “But at this point, it doesn’t feel like it’s so heavily favored her way. Any day, I can step on the court and I can win, which maybe before I didn’t believe that. I can’t say that I’m going to beat her every time I play her now, but I also can’t say that she’s going to be me every time I play her now. But before I would say I definitely felt a little bit of defeat stepping on the court but now I don’t. I know I have the ability to do it and it’s just about what happens that day. It always comes down to a few points between us.”

The No. 4 Fritz also delivered, beating Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(4). He was darn close, but in the tiebreaker, he hit some terrific shots.

“It’s amazing. It’s almost more fun to win the team events because you have people to celebrate with afterwards,” Fritz said. “Coco made it easy for me as the MVP on the team; it definitely helped my job a lot and its great to get it a second time.”

The 20-year-old Gauff is a doubles player, not all the time, but a lot. She has learned her return, at the net, and also, with the lobs. She wants to improve, each month.

Gauff did win at the 2023 US Open, and she has been close in the Slams, but she was unable to grab it. Yet at the 2025 Aussie Open, she will have another chance to find the solution. She can be aggressive, especially with her strong backhand, and she can also be intense on the net.

Gauff will head to Melbourne, hoping that she will play very consistent, and try to nail her forehand, which can be up and down. Last year, she reached into the semis, and then she lost
against the now No.1 , Aryna Sabalenka. This time though, Gauff really wants to soak it into the corner.

“Honestly, before every Grand Slam, I have the belief that I can win, and especially after US Open, I proved that I could do it,” Gauff said. “I definitely have belief that I can win. Obviously this start of the season gives me a lot of confidence. I feel like when I’m playing confident tennis I’m playing great tennis. I definitely feel confident going into AO.”

Sabalenka just won Brisbane, ready to win another Slam. She did it in Melbourne, twice. She can crack the ball, both sides, and she can also be patient, if she has to. There are times when she over hits, but currently, she can be super patient. She is much better than she was five years ago.

“I have to be honest, it’s not working really well so far. But I’m not going to give up on the things I practiced,” Sabalenka said. “Hopefully in Melbourne it’s going to work better for me…I’m just going to swing the racquet, hit the ball and bring the aggressive game back.’ I was more free with my shots and my body. I was able to play with a bit better level.”

NOTES

The former No. 1, Naomi Osaka, reached the final, but then she had to retire in Auckland due to a injury. She did say later that she should be pretty good at the AO. Maybe, but when you can get hurt, and then you might have to retire, once again. Who knows?…
The former US Open finalist, Kei Nishikori made it onto the final in Hong Kong. He is much older, now, but when he is locked in, he can grind it. However, the Frenchman Alexandre Muller out hit him… The younger player, Jiri Lehecka has improved a lot, over the past year, and now he is ranked No. 24, winning at Brisbane. The 23-year-old can really smash his forehand. At the AO, he could go into the second week, and then?

“Definitely the goals are high. I played quarterfinals two years ago,”Lehecka said. “I know that I’m capable of such a result. I know I have the game, I have the level. I beat some good players already. This week also helped me to build my confidence up. I will have a high.”

Archives for January 2025

Novak Djokovic takes down Carlos Alcaraz in the quarters

Fritz, Gauff on a roll going into Australian Open