Giant duel finds a winner
It’s Djokovic: Zverev’s semi-final opponent has been determined
01/21/2025 – 3:43 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
It was already clear before the match: Alexander Zverev would meet a real top-class player in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. Now it is finally clear who it is.
Novak Djoković beat Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the top duel of the Australian Open and reached the semi-finals of the tournament. The Serb ultimately prevailed 6:4, 4:6, 6:3, 6:4. For Djoković, it is the twelfth time that he has reached the round of the last four players in Melbourne – a statistic in which only Roger Federer (15 semi-finals) is more successful.
The 37-year-old will now face Alexander Zverev on Friday. The Hamburg native defeated the American Tommy Paul 7:6 (7:1), 7:6 (7:0), 2:6, 6:1 on Monday. Of twelve meetings with Djoković so far, Zverev has only won four. The Serb won the last duel in Cincinnati in 2023.
The quarterfinal between Djoković and Alcaraz started at the highest level. But shortly before the end of the first set, Djoković had to take a medical timeout. He returned to the pitch with a white bandage on his left thigh. In the meantime he was limping.
Nevertheless, the ten-time Australian Open winner played aggressively and riskily – even more than before. This had an effect because Alcaraz had mental difficulties. The 21-year-old visibly made more mistakes than his opponent.
In between, Alcaraz caused a stir when he imitated his opponent’s limping while shaking his head. However, Djoković finally seemed to regain his strength from the third set onwards. After 3:37 hours, he converted his first match point at 0:57 a.m. local time.
Eurosport expert Boris Becker was impressed by Djoković’s performance. “It’s amazing how the game has turned around here,” said the Serbian’s former coach. He particularly praised his mental strength: “It’s about the mentality. He’s a stayer. He wobbles sometimes, but very rarely falls.”