Novak Djokovic reached the semi-finals of Australian Open

By Sandy Verma On Jan 23, 2025

Melbourne�मेलबर्न, Novak Djokovic defied his age to prevail in a thrilling generational battle against Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open quarter-finals in Melbourne on Tuesday. The 37-year-old Serb is aiming for his 11th Australian Open title when he faces Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. Despite his left thigh being heavily bandaged, Djokovic defeated the Spaniard 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in a grueling match that lasted 3 hours and 37 minutes. Due to his excellent performance, he reached the semi-finals for the 12th time at Melbourne Park, which is second only to Roger Federer who has reached the semi-finals 15 times. The win took Djokovic's record for most Grand Slam semi-final appearances to 50, four more than Federer. To reach another final, he will have to defeat second seed Zverev, who for the second consecutive year defeated 12th-seeded American Tommy Paul 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (7/0), 2-6, 6 Made it to the last four by winning by -1.

Amid strong winds, Djokovic started the stronger, but Alcaraz quickly caught up. The Spaniard fought back and eventually won the first set, forcing Djokovic to take a medical timeout. However, the Serb came back with his thigh bandaged and dominated the second set. Alcaraz fought back, but Djokovic took the set. The third set was a thrilling affair, with both players holding serve until a series of breaks put Djokovic ahead, allowing him to close out the set. In the fourth set, Djokovic broke early and held serve to book his place in the semi-finals, despite excellent tennis from both players. “These are two of the best players who have ever touched a tennis racket,” Zverev said of Djokovic and Alcaraz. “Novak is the greatest player of all time at the moment. Carlos will be one of the greatest when he retires from the game, so it's a clash of generations.”