Almost no one could have imagined such a victory for Novak Djokovic. The 24-time Grand Slam champion left the whole world speechless once again and reiterated his special feeling with the Australian Open.
The Serbian legend prevailed in four sets against Carlos Alcaraz despite an adductor injury, which affected him especially between the end of the first set and the first part of the second set. The 37-year-old from Belgrade used a perfect tactic against the young Spaniard, who was no longer able to find solutions during rallies and lost concentration also due to Nole’s physical issue.
The current world No.7 has used his enormous experience at the highest level and reached the semi-finals at Melbourne Park, where he dreams of lifting his 11th trophy on Sunday, January 26. His last hurdle before the final is Alexander Zverev, who finally wants to break the curse and win a Major title for the first time in his career.
The champion from Hamburg is playing a great tournament and really looks like a man on a mission, but he has never defeated Novak in a Grand Slam tournament.
Djokovic – on the other hand – will have two full days to recover from this intense effort and will be back in action on Friday.
Feliciano Lopez on Djokovic’s win
Through his X profile, former world number 12 Feliciano Lopez expressed all his amazement at Nole’s victory over Alcaraz at the AO.
“I find it hard to believe the feat that Novak Djokovic achieved by defeating a great Carlos Alcaraz. Honestly, what he did is beyond my knowledge of this wonderful sport” – wrote Feliciano.
Me resulta difícil entender lo que @DjokerNole acaba de hacer, imponiéndose a un gran @carlosalcaraz .Honestamente, se escapa de mi conocimiento-experiencia en este maravilloso deporte.Speechless 😷
— Feliciano López (@feliciano_lopez) January 21, 2025
During his press conference, the 21-year-old from Murcia admitted that he was a bit distracted by Novak’s injury and allowed him to re-enter the match in the second set.
The Serbian ace – on the other hand – benefited from this situation and raised his level in the third and fourth sets. Nole tied Roger Federer and Ken Rosewall on the list of oldest players to reach the semifinals in the Happy Slam.
Tennis World USA