In an incident that recalls Novak Djokovic’s iconic “magic potion” story, Carlos Alcaraz was caught in unusual circumstances at the US Open involving a ball kid and a mysterious pill. Alcaraz defeated Britain’s Dan Evans in the third round of the US Open with a commanding 6-2 6-3 4-6 6-3 victory.
The top-seeded Spaniard appeared to be headed for another straightforward triumph after cruising through his first two encounters without dropping a set.
Earlier in the second set, Alcaraz had an odd moment when he asked a teammate to pass him something to treat an apparent illness. Then a member of the Spaniard’s team was spotted going over a barrier in the stands and handing a ball kid a glass jar with what looked like one pill in it.
That didn’t stop social media users from talking about conspiracies, with American commentators referring to the pill as Alcaraz’s “secret stuff” and many fans seeing links to other incidents related to Djokovic.
Many claim the response against Alcaraz has been mild in comparison to what Djokovic often faced. In 2020, the 23-time grand slam champion famously referred to a special drink he had created for him by a team member as his ‘ magic potion’.
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Djokovic at the U.S. Open, ranking, and results in 2023
At the moment ranked no.2, Djokovic has managed to achieve a compiled 41-5 match record in 2023. The Serbian is now playing at the U.S. Open where he beat the world no.84 Alexandre Muller 6-0 6-2 6-3, the world no.76 Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-4 6-1 6-1 and the world no.38 Laslo Djere 4-6 4-6 6-1 6-1 6-3.
Novak Djokovic will compete against the world no.105 Borna Gojo in the 4th round on Sunday at 7:00 pm on ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM. In the past, they have never competed against each other till now in top competitions.
Novak clinched 4 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open, French Open and Cincinnati. Djokovic was the runner-up in Wimbledon.
Novak won 95 titles in his career: 51 on hard courts, 19 on clay courts, 17 on indoor courts and 8 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Alcaraz at the U.S. Open, ranking, and results in 2023
LWWWWLWWWW Ranked world no.1, the Spaniard has achieved an overall 56-6 win-loss record in 2023. The Spaniard is currently having a run at the U.S. Open where he beat the world no.75 Dominik Koepfer 6-2 3-2 ret., the world no.177 Lloyd Harris 6-3 6-1 7-64 and the world no.28 Daniel Evans 6-2 6-3 4-6 6-3.
Carlos Alcaraz will face the world no.61 Matteo Arnaldi in the 4th round. In the past, they have never played each other so far in top competitions.
Carlos has won 6 titles in 2023 in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Wimbledon. Alcaraz reached the final in Rio de Janeiro (Rio Open) and in Cincinnati (Western & Southern Open).
Alcaraz won 12 titles in his career: 3 on hard courts, 7 on clay courts and 2 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz played each other 4 times. The head to head is 2-2. The last time they locked horns, Novak Djokovic won 5-7 7-6(7) 7-6(4) in the final in Cincinnati (Western & Southern Open) on the 20th of August 2023.
Here are the highlights.
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz |
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