Novak Djokovic is 37 and was forced to stop playing because of an injury at two of the past four Grand Slam tournaments.

The sheer power that Alcaraz is able to produce, even from dead, neutral balls, allows him to dictate proceedings from the baseline and bring his crafty drop shots and net play into focus. It has felt even more lethal thanks to a subtle change he has made to adapt his clay-friendly game to the quicker hard courts in Melbourne.

Novak Djokovic overcame injury and losing the opening set in a brilliant victory over Carlos Alcaraz, in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Australian Open. Djokovic, who is chasing a record-extending 11th Australian Open title, fought back to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 against his 21-year-old opponent.