The German tennis hope Alexander Zverev will meet Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. The Serb prevailed with some drama in the giants match against Carlos Alcaraz. Shortly after the successful match point, he joked about his upcoming semi-final opponent.
Novak Djokovic is once again in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. The Serb beat Carlos Alcaraz 4:6, 6:4, 6:3, 6:4 and is in the semi-finals in Melbourne for the twelfth time. Only tennis legend Roger Federer is better (15 times).
His quarter-final triumph required a real midnight effort. The 37-year-old had to take a medical break towards the end of the first set. Djokovic suddenly had problems with his thigh. After a break we continued with bandages and painkillers.
This threw his opponent off guard. Alcaraz imitated Djokovic during a break, imitating a limp. For Boris Becker, a sign of inexperience. “It shows weakness that he couldn’t cope with it,” said the tennis expert at “Eurosport”.
Boris Becker raves about his ex-protégé
Djokovic raved about the tough fight against his young challenger. “I won with one and a half legs. I wish that had been the final. It was one of the most epic matches here,” said Djokovic in the winner’s interview. He then looked at the clock and asked: “I don’t know if Sascha Zverev is still awake at one o’clock and saw it.”
The world number seven joked: “The key is recovery. But we have an agreement: As long as I play, he lets me win the Grand Slam matches.”
In the round of the best four, the 37-year-old will face the German number one on Friday. Zverev had previously defeated US professional Tommy Paul 7:6 (7:1), 7:6, (7:0), 2:6, 6:1 in the day session. Of the twelve previous duels with Djokovic, Zverev only won four; the Serb also won the last meeting so far in 2023 in Cincinnati.
With his victory, Zverev has overtaken Boris Becker in the statistics of most match successes at the Australian Open.
“It’s important that Sascha showed consistency. I’m hoping to win the tournament.”
There was also praise for his ex-protégé Djokovic: “It’s amazing how the game has turned here. It’s about the mentality. He’s a stayer. He wobbles sometimes, but he rarely falls.”