Australian Open: Novak Djokovic beats Carlos Alcaraz and gets closer to a 25th Grand Slam title

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic refused to let anything stop his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam trophy in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Not a problem with his left leg. Not an early deficit. And not the kid across the net, Carlos Alcaraz, who was making things difficult and eyeing his own bit of history.

Djokovic overcame it all, just as he has so often along the way to so many triumphs, moving into the semifinals at Melbourne Park for the 12th time with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Alcaraz in a scintillating showdown Tuesday night between a pair of stars born 16 years apart and at opposite ends of their careers.

“I just wish that this match today was the final,” Djokovic said. “One of the most epic matches I've played on this court. On any court.”

The action was non-stop, the shot-making brilliant, even as the encounter stretched on for more than 3 1/2 hours and nearly to 1 a.m. — never more so, perhaps, than when Alcaraz saved a break point in the fourth set. The 33-stroke exchange was the longest of the evening, and when it ended with Djokovic sailing a forehand long, the capacity crowd at Rod Laver Arena went wild. Djokovic reached for his bothersome leg and yelled toward his entourage; Alcaraz, his chest heaving, leaned on a towel box and grinned.

Turned out that only delayed the final result.

With his wife, son and daughter cheering in the stands — Dad joked about the late hour afterward — the No. 7-seeded Djokovic prevailed thanks to the sort of remarkable returning and no-mistakes-made groundstrokes against Alcaraz that Big Three rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal dealt with for years.

“I felt like I was controlling the match, and I let him get into the match again," Alcaraz said. “When Novak is at this level, it's really difficult.”

Djokovic enjoyed some of his own best efforts in the latter stages, pointing to his ear or blowing kisses or spreading his arms while puffing out his chest. There was the forehand winner on a 22-stroke point that earned the break for a 5-3 lead in the third set. There was that set’s last point, which included a back-to-the-net sprint to chase down a lob. Alcaraz wasn’t shy, either, shouting “Vamos!” and pumping his fists after one particularly booming forehand in the fourth set.

When the match ended, Djokovic yelled toward his team's box, before giving his coach, Andy Murray, a hug. Then Djokovic applauded for No. 3 seed Alcaraz as he left the court.

“I'm sure we are going to see a lot of him,” Djokovic said. “Maybe not as much as I would like.”

On Friday, Djokovic’s 50th major semifinal will come against No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev, a two-time runner-up at majors who beat No. 12 Tommy Paul 7-6 (1), 7-6 (0), 2-6, 6-1. Djokovic said he hopes he can recover in time to face Zverev at full strength.

This was the eighth Djokovic vs. Alcaraz meeting, but the first at the Australian Open — and the first that wasn’t in the semifinal or final. Zverev called it “a clash of generations” between “two of the best players that probably ever touched a tennis racket.”

Hard to find the hyperbole.

At 37, Djokovic is undoubtedly past his prime, yes, but no man has won more Australian Open championships than his 10 or more Grand Slam singles titles than his 24. At 21, Alcaraz is unlikely yet to have reached his peak, yes, but no man ever had reached No. 1 in the rankings as a teen until he did or collected major trophies on three different surfaces by his age.

Alcaraz hasn’t been shy about hoping to complete a career Grand Slam by adding a victory in Australia to the two he owns from Wimbledon — beating Djokovic in the finals in 2023 and 2024 — and the one apiece from the U.S. Open and French Open. Djokovic made getting an Olympic gold medal for Serbia his priority in 2024 and succeeded at the Paris Games last August — beating Alcaraz in the final — and otherwise cares mainly about the majors.

“Every time that we play against other, I think a show is guaranteed," Alcaraz said. “I'm just lucky I get to live this experience.”

Djokovic had something else on his mind lately: He was angry about insulting on-air remarks made by an Australian TV commentator, and refused to speak to the host country’s official tournament broadcaster on Sunday. Djokovic got the apologies he sought from the channel and its employee on Monday, and made it known he was ready to focus on facing Alcaraz.

But at 4-all, Djokovic grabbed at his thigh and crouched down after stretching for a shot. He finished that game but lost it, before taking a medical timeout. When play resumed, his left thigh was taped, and Alcaraz served out that set. Anyone who thought Djokovic might go gently into the night is not familiar with his game. He began attacking Alcaraz’s serves relentlessly and, soon, the second set was his. Alcaraz acknowledged after the match he was distracted by Djokovic’s injury and regretted not trying to push him to the limit.

“If I lost that second set, I don't know if I would continue playing,” Djokovic said, crediting painkillers from the tournament doctor with helping him feel better.

There was nary an empty blue seat in the stadium, and fans repeatedly cried out between points, drawing a stern, “Enough. Thank you,” from chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore.

While the ball was in play, though, it got quite quiet, the hush pierced only by the squawks of seagulls flying overhead or the squeaks of sneakers or the “Aaahs” and “Ooohs” of impressed ticket-holders during electric exchanges.

Djokovic and Alcaraz showed off their skills as the temperature dipped below 70 degrees Fahrenheit (20 Celsius) and wind gusted at 30 mph (nearly 50 kph), rippling Djokovic’s blue shirt (although not Alcaraz’s tighter-fitting sleeveless number).

Both tracked down shots they had no business getting to. Both went from defense to offense and conjured up winners out of nowhere. Both did much more, too, such as Alcaraz’s well-disguised drop shots or Djokovic’s marvelous returns, including two winners that closed the second set.

But it was Djokovic who was better on this memorable night.

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Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis