Djokovic defeats Alcaraz in roller-coaster Australian Open quarterfinal

You can never count out Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open–even when looks all but finished.

Djokovic, who is 99-9 lifetime with 10 titles at Melbourne Park, looked like he would succumb to an apparent groin injury early in his quarterfinal match on Tuesday night but recovered to beat Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. The 37-year-old secured a spot in his 12th Aussie Open quarterfinal after three hours and 37 minutes.

It looked like it might be over after an hour, as Djokovic dropped the first set from a break up and then struggled physically throughout the second. However, any signs of injury quickly evaporated and Djokovic raised his level the rest of the way–coinciding with a flurry of unforced errors infesting Alcaraz’s game.

Alcaraz fired 50 winners–19 more than his opponent–but sprayed 40 errors. The 21-year-old Spaniard remains in search of his first triumph Down Under; it’s the only Grand Slam title that he is missing.

“The medication started to kick in, and it helped no doubt,” Djokovic explained. “If I lost that second set, I don’t know if I would continue playing, but I felt better and better. 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. It didn’t bother me towards the end of the match–only in that second set.

“I want to say my utmost respect and admiration for Carlos, everything he stands for and what he has achieved so far in his career. What a terrific guy he is, and an even better competitor. Youngest-ever No. 1 in the world, four Grand Slams, and I’m sure we are going to see a lot of him…. Maybe not as much as I would like, but he is going to be there for sure longer than me. I just wish this match today was the final, honestly.”

But it wasn’t the final, and to get there Djokovic will have to get past Alexander Zverev on Friday. Zverev held off Tommy Paul 7-6(1), 7-6(0), 2-6, 6-1 in Tuesday’s first quarterfinal match.