Djokovic Does His Thing on 'Home' Court

With a strapped left thigh and from a set down, the 37-year-old Serb flipped the script on Alcaraz in a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 quarter-final victory

- Rutvick Mehta [e-mail]

MUMBAI: This is his tournament, as Carlos Alcaraz stated a couple of days ago.

He may have dislodged him as the world No. 1 two seasons back. He may even have snatched the Wimbledon crown from him in 2023 and kept it in 2024. But good luck rolling over Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.

This is his tournament. This is his theatre. And he was back to playing GOAT in it.

And so, on set point of the third set, after he had fetched a drop shot, scrambled to get back to a lob and blasted a backhand crosscourt that died on Alcaraz's racquet, Djokovic placed his finger to his ear and raised both his arms in getting the crowd into the act. He had one leg in the semis.

"One-and-a-half legs," Djokovic chuckled later when asked by Jim Courier about how he does it.

With a strapped left thigh and from a set down, the 37-year-old Serb flipped the script on the smiling Spaniard in a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 quarter-final victory at the Rod Laver Arena that went well beyond midnight in Melbourne. The 24-time Grand Slam champion is into his 50th semi-final, and is now truly alive and kicking in his pursuit of the record 25th.

So also in his fight to hold ground against the younger hunters who've increasingly preyed on him.

His conqueror of last year, Jannik Sinner may potentially still lurk. But in not letting Alcaraz, who he has now beaten in consecutive high-stakes matches, also overpower him in his tournament was significant for Djokovic.