Novak Djokovic produced another incredible comeback to defeat Carlos Alcaraz and reach the Australian Open semi-finals. The 37-year-old Serbian overcame injury, age, and ranking to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 against the 21-year-old Spaniard in a thrilling match.
“It was possibly one of the best matches of the tournament on the men’s side,” said Djokovic. “It felt like a final and we both gave it our all.”
Djokovic, aiming for a record-breaking 11th men’s singles title, limped at the end of the first set due to a problem with his left leg. However, after receiving treatment off-court, he made an impressive recovery and continued his pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam title, which would set a new all-time record.
Once the pain eased, Djokovic played more aggressively and took control of the match. Alcaraz, the third seed, became more frustrated as he struggled to turn the match in his favour.
When Djokovic sealed the win after a hard-fought three hours and 38 minutes, at 00:57 local time, he celebrated with coach Andy Murray.
Djokovic and Alcaraz shared a warm hug at the net after the highly anticipated match. “When Novak plays at this level, it’s really difficult. It was a really close match,” said Alcaraz.
The defeat ends Alcaraz’s hopes, at least for now, of becoming the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam. Djokovic now moves on to the semi-finals, where he will face German second seed Alexander Zverev on Friday.
