Alexander Zverev’s semi-final opponent has been found: Novak Djokovic won the giant duel with Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open after a battle of nerves.
The Serbian Grand Slam record winner prevailed 4:6, 6:4, 6:3, 6:4 and reached the semi-finals in Melbourne for the twelfth time. Djokovic, who has collected an impressive ten titles in Melbourne, is aiming for his 25th Grand Slam success this year. He would thus leave Margaret Court behind and become the sole record holder across genders.
He won his last game against Zverev, at the Masters in Cincinnati in 2023. Alcaraz, on the other hand, has to continue to wait for his major collection to be completed. Both players began the game, which the tennis world had been looking forward to since the draw, with unusual errors. But while Alcaraz gradually found his way into the game, it quickly became clear on the other side that Djokovic was physically impaired – the Serb seemed to have problems in his inner thigh area.
Treatment break with the eventual winner
After conceding the deciding break in the first set, he sought treatment in the catacombs. The 37-year-old returned to the cheers of the fans in the electrified Rod Laver Arena – and the interruption paid off. Alcaraz seemed a little overwhelmed by the situation, continued to miss a lot and gave the following two sentences. After the third set he even seemed to mock Djokovic’s injury and limped to his bench. Djokovic, who had been looked after by his ex-rival Andy Murray since the start of the season, was now fully in focus, achieved victory after 3:37 hours and earned his semi-final ticket.