In a thrilling match at the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic once again stunned Carlos Alcaraz with another unbelievable comeback, allowing him to advance to the semifinals.
The 36-year-old athlete defeated his 21-year-old opponent with a performance record of 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4, clearly defying age, injuries, and current rankings.
With his win, Djokovic expressed: “It was possibly one of the best tournament matches on the men’s side… It felt like the final of a Slam, and I wish it were. We both gave it our all.”
Furthermore, this loss temporarily ended Alcaraz’s dream of becoming the youngest athlete to complete a career Grand Slam.
Highlights of the game
At the end of the first set, Djokovic, vying for a record-tying 11th men’s singles victory, limped around the Rod Laver Arena due to an upper left leg injury.
However, he made an impressive recovery after leaving the court to receive treatment, allowing him to fight for his 25th Grand Slam triumph. To have control of the game and move more freely, Djokovic did his best to play as strongly as possible until the pain subsided.
At the beginning of the third set, Alcaraz’s services were still heavily attacked. He appeared to have saved the match, but when Djokovic broke for 4-2, he gave in, and the third seed lost service once more for 5-3.
Moreover, Djokovic used his momentum in the first game of the fourth set. Alcaraz grew more agitated as he tried to find out how to win the compelling match. Djokovic then won the game, which lasted three hours and 38 minutes.
Alcaraz admitted after the game: “When Novak plays at this level, it’s challenging. It was a close match.”
“I felt like I was controlling the match and let him get into it again… I’m going to say that was the biggest mistake that I made. I had to play better in the second set to push him even more to the limit,” Alcaraz added.
When asked when he was ready for another match, Djokovic remarked, “I’m concerned physically, but if I can somehow manage to be physically ready, I’m mentally and emotionally as ready as I can be.”
Source: BBC