Alexander Zverev could finally win an elusive Grand Slam title after soaring into the Australian Open semi-finals.
Zverev could have Roger Federer to thank for his superb Australian Open run, with his latest win coming over Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals.
ATP number two Zverev was angry with the electronic let calling against the American, but he did manage to emerge victorious 7-6(1), 7-6(0), 2-6, 6-1.
Rod Laver Arena played host to the encounter, with Zverev now taking on Novak Djokovic for a spot in the Australian Open final after his win over Carlos Alcaraz.
The Serbian recovered superbly to beat the Spaniard 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 as he chases a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.
Alexander Zverev names Novak Djokovic as the greatest player ‘right now’
Zverev played the day session before Djokovic and Alcaraz took to Rod Laver Arena for the night session, with the German having been asked on court how different the conditions were in his latest match compared to his previous battles.
“I absolutely love playing night matches here, I really do,” said Zverev. “I don’t know why, I just feel the ball so well on my racket, and during the day I kind of struggle a little bit more.
“But I’m in the semi-finals somehow and I’m happy about that. Of course I totally understand that Novak against Carlos is the highlight match.
“It’s probably the highlight match of the whole tournament. I tried to request a night match, but that was denied very, very quickly.”
And asked for his thoughts on that highly-anticipated encounter, Zverev jokingly responded: “Yeah absolutely boring matchup. No reason for staying here after you just witnessed Zverev versus Paul, I mean, come on.
“I mean, two of the best players that probably ever touched a tennis racket. Novak is the greatest of all time right now, Carlos is going to be one of them when he hangs it up. So it’s a clash of generations.
“They have played Grand Slam finals before, they have played the Olympic final last year, so it’s a privilege to witness it here in Australia. So please guys do enjoy it and I think it’s going to be a great match.”
Novak Djokovic leads Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev on hard courts
Djokovic may or may not have been listening to Zverev’s post-match comments, but he certainly lived up to expectations against Alcaraz.
It was experience that triumphed over youth between the duo, although the Serbian’s knack for beating the Spaniard on hard courts also came to the fore once more.
READ MORE: Who is Novak Djokovic? Step inside the life of the 24-time Grand Slam champion
Djokovic has now taken his head-to-head record with Alcaraz to 5-3, with the former having now won all three of their hard court meetings.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion also has a positive head-to-head record over Zverev, winning eight of their 12 matches to date.
And unlike Alcaraz, Zverev has enjoyed hard court success against the legendary figure, although Djokovic has won seven of their 10 meetings on the surface.
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