Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic also ended up in the same part of the draw at the Miami Open. It had already happened at the Australian Open at the beginning of the year where they faced each other in the quarterfinals (with the Serbian legend winning in four sets) and at the Indian Wells Masters 1000, where they could have faced each other in the quarterfinals (but Nole was eliminated already in the second round).
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Their potential clash in Florida would occur in the semifinals, but both will have to go through a path full of pitfalls and show up at the second Masters 1000 of the season with several doubts.
The Spanish ace was hoping to win his third title in a row at Indian Wells last week to keep his chances of returning to the top of the ATP ranking alive before Jannik Sinner returns.
His run in California had been fully convincing until the semifinals considering that he had not lost a single set but a performance full of ups and downs against Jack Draper caused him his first defeat at 'The Tennis Paradise' since 2022.
The 21-year-old from Murcia would have to win all the tournaments he will participate in between now and March in order to dethrone Jannik, a feat bordering on the impossible.
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Djokovic on the other hand absolutely needs to win a few matches after the eliminations in the first round at the Doha ATP 500 and in the second round at the Indian Wells Masters 1000.
The 37-year-old from Belgrade had not played in the Miami Open since 2019, when he was beaten by Roberto Bautista Agut in the round of 16.
Miami Open schedule
Meanwhile, it has been announced that Alcaraz and Djokovic will make their debut in Florida on Friday, March 21 (the time has not yet been defined).
In case of victory, their third round is scheduled for Sunday 23 March, while on Tuesday 25 March all the matches valid for the round of 16 will be played.
No.1 seed Alexander Zverev who is going through a period of crisis after the Australian Open final will make his debut on Saturday, March 22.
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