Novak Djokovic wins the first summit meeting at the Australian Open in Melbourne. The Serb beats Carlos Alcaraz in four sets after being a set behind.
21.01.2025, 15:02
21.01.2025, 15:10
SDA
Carlos Alcaraz had already looked like the seemingly certain winner after 50 minutes. After trailing 0:2, Alcaraz took the first set 6:4, and Djokovic was limping and had major problems.
The Serb had to be treated briefly outside the center court. His left thigh was bandaged. A painkiller was administered. Once the medication took effect, Novak Djokovic went on a run. In sets 2, 3 and 4, Djokovic never fell behind again. After three hours and 38 minutes, Djokovic converted his first match point to win 4:6, 6:4, 6:3, 6:4.
In this match between young and old, between the 21-year-old Alcaraz and the 37-year-old Djokovic, the Spaniard looked old after the first hour. Never since the 1989 US Open, when Andre Agassi (19) won against Jimmy Connors (37) in five sets in the quarter-finals, has there been a greater age difference between two players at a Grand Slam tournament.
Novak Djokovic proved against Alcaraz that, despite his advanced age, he is capable of more this season than last season, in which the Serb won Olympic gold but failed to win a major tournament. Djokovic is still two wins away from his 25th Grand Slam title. His next opponent on Friday is Alexander Zverev (ATP 2).
Alcaraz, on the other hand, also lost his third hard-court duel against Djokovic. He continues to struggle in Melbourne. Alcaraz has already won Roland Garros (2024), Wimbledon (2023 and 2024) and the US Open (2022) - but he has never made it to the semi-finals at the Australian Open.
