Forget defying gravity.
The 37-year-old Novak Djokovic defied injury and age to defeat Carlos Alcaraz in the early hours of Wednesday morning at the 2025 Australian Open. In Oz, the Serbian wizard overcame an upper-leg injury at the tail end of the opening set and battled to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory against his 21-year-old opponent.
"I just wish this match today was the final, honestly," Djokovic said following their fourth major meeting. "It’s one of the most epic matches I have played on this court—on any court really."
The relatively straightforward scoreline belied the drama and intensity of the three-hour, 37-minute slugfest. Alcaraz overturned an early break deficit in the opening set, serving out the first frame after Djokovic left the court for a medical timeout and came back with taping on his upper left leg.
Despite struggling physically for much of set two, Djokovic stayed in the match by ripping his groundstrokes at every opportunity. After Alcaraz again erased an early break, the Spaniard seemed on the brink of running away with victory. Instead, Djokovic continued to pile on the pressure and was ultimately rewarded with a break in the set's final game.
"If I lost that second set, I don’t know if I would continue playing, but I felt better and better," Djokovic revealed. "I managed to play a great couple of games to end the second set. I saw that Carlos was hesitant from the back of the court, and I took my chances. I started to feel and move better. [The pain] didn’t bother me towards the end of the match, only in that second set."
The match flipped on its head as Djokovic began to move like his younger self, defending brilliantly in the corners while still unloading from the baseline at all the right moments. After once again surrendering a break advantage in set three, Djokovic won four straight games from 4-3 to take the third and open up a 2-0 lead in the fourth.
He was stressed by Alcaraz in each ensuing service game, but never blinked—even after a brilliant defensive point from the Spaniard denied him a double break lead at 4-2.
Following a warm embrace with Alcaraz, Djokovic went straight to his new coach, Andy Murray, to celebrate.
"I felt to do it in the end of the match," the Serb said of his moment with Murray. "I feel more and more connected with Andy every day. We face challenges every single day. People don't see that obviously. We try to make the most out of every day and grow together. He's been as committed to my career and this tournament as he can be.
"It was kind of a gesture of appreciation, respect for him, and the fact that he's out there, and he doesn't need to be. He accepted to work with me. He's giving all his support to me, to the whole team, and trying to make it work.
"This was a huge win for all of us, including Andy and myself, for the relationship. That's why I went to him, because I just felt very grateful that he's there."
Murray paid a visit to Alcaraz in the player gym after the match to acknowledge the Spaniard's part in the epic. And despite his defeat, Alcaraz remains grateful for his rivalry with Djokovic—who now leads him 5-3 in their head-to-head series.
“[We] play great, great matches every time that we play against each other,” he said in his post-match press conference. “We push each other to the limit. I think we played great points, great rallies [today]. It was really tight in the third, in the fourth set, the whole match. I'm just lucky to live this experience."
Next up for Djokovic is a semifinal showdown with world No. 2 Alexander Zverev on Friday, giving the Serb two days to rest and recover.
“I'll take it day by day. Now it's really about recovery," he said. "I'm concerned. I am, to be honest, physically. But if I manage somehow to be physically good enough, I think mentally, emotionally I'm as motivated as I can be."
Now through to his 50th major singles semifinal, a 25th Grand Slam title is just two wins away.
