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Carlos Alcaraz\u00a0will face a new opponent in the fourth round of the US Open as he takes on Matteo Arnaldi. The 22-year-old stunned 16th seed Cameron Norrie in straight sets as he reached the second week of a Major for the first time. Arnaldi has now shared his plan to face the reigning champion in New York. And Alcaraz could find himself in some trouble as the world No 61 previously branded himself a \u201clittle Novak Djokovic\u201d.<\/p>\n
Arnaldi is one of many players getting their maiden fourth-round appearance at a Grand Slam this week, alongside Jack Draper, Dominic Stricker, Rinky Hijikata and Borna Gojo. The young Italian has arguably the toughest test of them all as he takes on world No 1 and reigning champion Alcaraz.<\/p>\n
But the 22-year-old is ready for the challenge and has been eyeing up the chance to play the two-time Grand Slam champion since the draw came out. And Arnaldi has previously likened himself to Alcaraz\u2019s current biggest rival, Novak Djokovic, so he could well have the game to trouble the top seed.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Il Messaggero in December, Arnaldi claimed that he was a \u201clittle Novak Djokovic\u201d and even hit with the Serb at last year\u2019s Italian Open. \u201cHe has always been my idol, in Rome I even warmed him up before a match, he is my point of reference,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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Just in <\/strong> Young US Open fan rejects personal Tommy Paul invitation into player’s box[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cGiven the due proportions, there are some similarities: I too would define myself as a counter-attacker and I have always done the splits.\u201d Like Djokovic, the Italian also counts outdoor hard courts as his best surface – the exact conditions at the US Open.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cI grew up on that surface, then at the beginning of the year we started playing more indoors too, even if the best results so far have been on clay. The US Open and Australian Open remain the Slams where I dream of a great result: I work hard and I am very ambitious, even if you can’t say much out there, and I keep certain thoughts within the team.\u201d<\/p>\n Arnaldi has already done exactly what he set out to do – having a strong result in Flushing Meadows. And he is relishing the chance to face Alcaraz after putting the Spaniard in his sights at the start of the tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> \u201cWhen I saw the draw, that was my goal, to go and play against him. But, you know, I never played against a World No 1,\u201d he said after beating Norrie. \u201cIt’s just something crazy to think what I was at the start of the year and where I am now. I’m just trying to think match after match and to enjoy this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n And just like in Djokovic\u2019s matches against Alcaraz, the world No 61 will try to make it a physical battle when he steps onto Arthur Ashe Stadium to face the reigning champion. Arnaldi explained: \u201cI mean, I don’t want to say that we play very similar, but he’s very physical, and I think I’m a bit physical. I try to play as much as I can, to bring the match in the long distance. I think, I hope it’s gonna be a good match, and really intense match, but you never know.\u201d<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/72\/590x\/secondary\/4941370.jpg?r=1693807526236\")
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