“It felt like it was finals of a Slam,” Novak Djokovic said after outsmarting Carlos Alcaraz in a come-from-behind win in the Australian Open quarterfinals on Tuesday. But more than the tactical masterclass that Djokovic served in the match, the Serb overcame a major injury concern that almost left him on the brink of “retiring” from the match. He had taken a medical time-out during the opening set and returned with a strapped upper left thigh while popping medications twice during the match.
On Friday, Djokovic will undergo another stiff test when he takes on second seed Alexander Zverev in the first semifinal, scheduled for the afternoon at Rod Laver Arena. But the bigger question remains—will the Serbs be physically fit for the battle?
The 37-year-old skipped training sessions on back-to-back days since the quarterfinal, sparking threats over his injury. While one still has to wait to see if he turns up on the practice court on Friday morning before the match, Djokovic has been no stranger to overcoming the toughest physical battles. Melbourne itself has been a witness to two such campaigns.
In 2023, he claimed to have had a 3cm tear in his left hamstring and played with a heavy strapping en route to beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. Two years earlier, he had incurred an abdominal injury, and en route to the title, he beat Zverev in four sets in the quarterfinal.
But the Zverev he will face on Friday afternoon, will be a stronger and better version of himself, with the ability to linger around and pace himself well for all five sets, and make Djokovic work for every point amid is injury concerns.
Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev: Head-to-head tie
Djokovic does have the edge over Zverev in their head-to-head battles, having won eight of their 12 meetings, including a dominating 3-0 record at Slams, but the result will largely depend on how well-rested he is after that quarterfinal. match. Although Zverev’s last win against the Serb dates back to 2021, it remains one of the most crushing blows Djokovic suffered, as the German overturned a set and break deficit in the semifinal clash en route to winning the gold. The 37-year-old will know that Zverev is well rested in this second week of the Slam, where he dropped just two sets.
Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev: What is on the line?
For Djokovic, he stands just two wins away from claiming an unprecedented 25th Major and a record-extending 11th Australian Open title. It will also be his first major since lifting the US Open title in 2023.
For Zverev, who surpassed Boris Becker for the most match wins in Melbourne en route to the semifinal, he still eyes his maiden Slam. For the better part of his early career, the lanky German was touted as the “next big thing.” But he failed to transpire it in big events, until the 2020 US Open, when he reached his first final, where he suffered a heartbreaking loss after taking a two-set lead. Since then, he at least made the semis in five of the 15 Slams, which includes the French Open final last year, but again lost after taking a two-set-to-one lead.
Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev: Who will win?
Despite Melbourne having witnessed an improved Zverev, if a fit-again Djokovic turns up at the Rod Laver Arena on Friday, he will surely book that spot in the final.
