Now the time has come. Almost two weeks ago, Alexander Zverev sat in the press conference before the Australian Open and answered Novak Djokovic’s joking question about when he would finally win his first Grand Slam title with: “If you let me.” Now both face each other in the semi-finals.
Alexander Zverev came to the large press conference room at the Australian Open as rested as one can be after five matches. An hour earlier he had won his quarterfinal against Tommy Paul in four sets. For the seventh time in his career, the 27-year-old is in the semi-finals of one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, and for the third time at the Australian Open. When asked about what was different about this run to the semi-finals than last year, Zverev came up with the obvious, the wear and tear of strength: “Last year I was on the pitch significantly longer.” He has only given up two sets so far and played three hours less than his upcoming opponent Novak Djokovic.
A major obstacle in Zverev’s Grand Slam career was repeatedly that he wore himself out in early rounds and no longer had any strength in the decisive matches. Things are different before the semi-finals on Friday morning German time. And Novak Djokovic had to push himself to the limit not only physically but also emotionally in the quarterfinals.
Djokovic pushes boundaries
Djokovic’s match against Carlos Alcaraz cost substance. “There was so much energy on the court. It felt like a Grand Slam final, to be honest. I wish it had been,” Djokovic gave insight into his physical and mental life. The 24-time Grand Slam winner always manages to push his limits. That was already the case at the final of the 2024 Olympic Games, and it was the same now in Melbourne. Only with injury on top of that.
One wrong step Djokovic, pain in the thigh, medical timeout, tape. It is not yet clear how much the injury will limit him on Friday. Alexander Zverev’s brother Mischa weighed it down in an interview with ARD: “Novak has had this happen several times in Grand Slams. Whether it was a pulled abdominal muscle or a shoulder injury. He is capable of playing his best tennis, even if he is slightly injured produce.”
Even in the 23rd year of his professional career, Novak Djokovic still finds nuances in his game that he can work on. At the beginning of 2024 he separated from his coach Goran Ivanisevic and surprisingly introduced his decades-long competitor Andy Murray as his new coach at the end of the year. Each stone is turned over to get the most out of it.
New against old Zverev
Djokovic and Zverev played against each other twelve times, and Djokovic won eight times. Three matches were played at Grand Slams, Djokovic won all three. Most recently, however, in 2021. Zverev was a different, an uncertain player back then. The serve, now a stable cornerstone of his game, was not yet a reliable factor, and the tactical orientation was more defensive. In recent months, Zverev has been working on a more offensive form of his game. The serve is accompanied by a forehand hit with more speed and more frequent visits to the net.
The fact that the fight between the “old” and the “new” Zverev has not yet been decided was shown in the round of 16 against Ugo Humbert. After an almost perfect first set, Zverev lost the second. A slight feeling of uncertainty crept into his body in the third sentence. But as the match progressed, the world number two remembered his new, offensive game. He won the match in four sets. Even against Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals, not everything went to Zverev’s satisfaction. Paul was the riskier player for much of the first two sets.
If Zverev wants to win against Djokovic, he will have to show the new Zverev more often. The Grand Slam duels have proven it: Djokovic is a master at taking on the strenuous, long baseline duels. In Melbourne he won most of the long rallies. It will be exciting to see how the German behaves when the score is tight. Does he continue to pursue his newfound offensive style or does he retreat to his comfort zone two meters behind the baseline? He should be well rested so that he doesn’t run out of breath. But there’s one thing Zverev won’t be able to count on: that Djokovic will let him.