MELBOURNE, Australia — Carlos Alcaraz. Jannik Sinner. Alexander Zverev. Novak Djokovic. For the first time since 2013, the top four men’s seeds have reached the semifinals of the Australian Open.
History is guaranteed to be made this weekend at Melbourne Park. Alcaraz is looking to become the youngest man to complete the career Slam. Sinner is seeking a rare three-peat Down Under. Zverev is hunting for his first major title. And Djokovic is still gunning for that record-extending 25th Grand Slam crown.
Here’s why each semifinalist can go on and lift the trophy:
Carlos Alcaraz (No. 1 seed)
Alcaraz has been on a tennis rampage over the past 18 months, winning Grand Slams and retaking hold of the coveted No. 1 rank. His dominant form has been on full display over the past 11 days at Melbourne Park.
The Spaniard has barely had to move out of second gear as he has motored into the semifinals at the Australian Open for (remarkably) the first time in his still very young career. He is 15 of 15 on sets played and, in truth, hasn’t really looked like he might lose one. In the few pressure situations he has faced, Alcaraz has been unflappable, winning a tournament-high 76% of points when serving at either 30-30 or 40-40.
But perhaps the most ominous sign for his rivals is that Alcaraz appears to have addressed what was really the only weakness in his game: the serve. Alcaraz has taken a page out of the Djokovic playbook, modeling his serve on the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s and…
