Carlos Alcaraz will headline a new tennis event in New Jersey alongside the likes of Emma Raducanu and Amanda Anisimova. The young Spaniard remains on course to win the US Open, having cruised into the semi-finals over the last fortnight. He will face Novak Djokovic in the last four and could go up against Jannik Sinner if he reaches the final.
Alcaraz is already looking ahead to future tournaments, having signed up for an exhibition event in December. The one-day showcase, called A Racquet At The Rock, will be held in Newark in the build-up to Christmas. It will feature two best-of-three matches with a 10-point tiebreaker for the third set.
Alcaraz will go up against Frances Tiafoe, who was beaten in the third round of the US Open by Jan-Lennard Struff. The other match will see Raducanu take on Anisimova, the Wimbledon finalist who remains in with a shout of Grand Slam glory in New York.
Following the announcement of the event, Alcaraz issued a short statement to express his excitement. He said: “It is always a lot of fun to be on the court with Frances. We love to compete against each other.
“I can’t wait to put on a great show for the fans in Newark. I’m looking forward to December 7 at Prudential Center, it will be a special night of great tennis.”
It comes after Tim Henman pointed out the huge advantage that Alcaraz will have over Djokovic when they do battle in the US Open semi-finals.
“I give Alcaraz the edge in that one,” said the Brit. “The way he’s been playing is phenomenal, all the different shots he’s coming up with, but also the physicality. His movement is just absolutely incredible.
“He’s got 16 years on Djokovic and I think that’s to his advantage, but Djokovic has been incredible in the Slams. This is his fourth semi-final of the year, and he’s won here numerous times.
“He’s looking for that 25th [Grand Slam title], so you wouldn’t put it past him. But Alcaraz, for me, starts as the clear favourite.”
Juan Carlos Ferrero had a different view, with the Spaniard insisting that Alcaraz is not the favourite to beat a resurgent Djokovic in New York.
“Carlos is playing spectacularly, with a lot of confidence, but I don’t dare say that he is a favourite,” said Ferrero.
“Novak will give everything, it will be very tough. In Australia, they played at night and that favoured Novak a little, with his flatter hitting. If we play here during the day, we think the conditions would be much better for us.”
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