Djokovic Downs Alcaraz To Reach Australian Open Semifinals
Novak Djokovic won the latest installment of his budding rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday as he advanced to the Australian Open semifinals with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory.
“It’s one of the most epic matches I have played on this court,” Djokovic said. “On any court really.”
In the eighth meeting between the two, Alcaraz was the one who took the early lead as he won the first set 6-4, with Djokovic needing to take a medical timeout at 4-5 in the opener.
With his leg taped in the second set, Djokovic began to play more aggressive from the baseline and the two exchanged heavy groundstrokes against one another.
“The medication started to kick in and it helped no doubt. I had to take another dose, it sounds awful, but I had to,” said Djokovic. “If I lost that second set, I don’t know if I would continue playing, but I felt better and better. I managed to play a great couple of games to end the second set. I saw that Carlos was hesitant from the back of the court, and I took my chances. I started to feel and move better.”
Djokovic continued to gain the upper hand in the final two sets, and in the final set, he broke Alcaraz early on and saved the three break points he faced on his own to serve to improve his record against the Spaniard to 5-3, and reach the 50th major semifinal of his career.
“I want to say my utmost respect and admiration for Carlos, everything he stands for and what he has achieved so far in his career,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “What a terrific guy he is, and an even better competitor. Youngest ever No. 1 in the world, four Grand Slams, and I’m sure we are going to see a lot of him… Maybe not as much as I would like, but he is going to be there for sure longer than me. I just wish this match today was the final, honestly.”
Up next for the 10-time Australian Open champion is second-seeded Alexander Zverev, who defeated American Tommy Paul in four sets earlier in the day.
