daniel chigunweNovak Djokovic secured a spot in the semi-finals of the 2025 Australian Open after yet another display of his historic greatness, managing to overcome the supreme challenge of defeating Carlos Alcaraz.
The final result was 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 in favour of the Serbian, who will now face Alexander Zverev.
An anticipated final, one of those matches that will be remembered for a long time.
Those were the expectations surrounding the quarter-final clash of the 2025 Australian Open between Alcaraz and Djokovic, and once again, reality surpassed all predictions. In a generational, captivating duel of styles and personalities, the scale tipped in favour of the Serbian, who delivered a masterful lesson in competitive intelligence, further solidifying his legendary status.
From the early stages of the first set, Alcaraz showed room for improvement in his game, conceding an early break and realising that playing at a slower pace with margins wouldn’t be sufficient.
Novak also didn’t seem particularly dynamic in his footwork, and the conservatism of both players levelled the score.
The turning point came midway through the set when a movement from the Balkan player caused discomfort in his abductor.
At 4-4, he requested a medical time-out and couldn’t hold that service game due to Alcaraz’s continuous pressure, who enjoyed his best moments of the match there.
Alarms were raised due to Djokovic’s uncertainties in his movements, especially towards his right side. Instead of capitalizing on this, Carlos significantly lowered his leg intensity and faced a 0-3 deficit at the start of the second set. What was worse for his interests, Djokovic was very engaged in the match, finding good sensations with all his shots, hitting the ball with less spin and being highly aggressive.
The Spanish player’s magic emerged, balancing the score and seemingly on the verge of dealing a decisive blow, flirting with a break in the ninth game.
However, the Serbian averted that critical situation and subsequently gave a masterclass in returning, securing the set while seeming to play below his highest leg intensity. All tactical facets that can sway such a monumental match came to light in the third set, with both players operating at full throttle, seeking the weaknesses in their opponent. Alcaraz tried to change rhythms with high forehand shots when under pressure and precise drop shots when entering the court, while Novak persistently attacked, displaying absolute clarity in his returns and unleashing destabilising parallel backhands during baseline exchanges.
Most of Alcaraz’s doubts arose from his forehand, unable to control it with his usual reliability, and primarily committing many errors on returns. Djokovic found a goldmine with wide serves on the deuce side, pushing Alcaraz to move extensively and disrupting a player who lacked the necessary feel in his hands to manage that shot.
Meanwhile, the Balkan’s backhand performance significantly improved, and he took control of the match. — Puntodebreak.com
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