Novak Djokovic was able to beat Carlos Alcaraz at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2022 in their Australian Open quarter-final.
Djokovic came from a set down against Alcaraz to set up a semi-final clash with Alexander Zverev.
This will be the first time they play at a major tournament since 2021, with Djokovic beating Zverev in their three previous Grand Slam matches.
Prior to the match with Alcaraz, Djokovic was surrounded in controversy after refusing to speak to Jim Courier following his fourth round win over Jiri Lehecka.
Courier has since responded to Djokovic, comparing the Serbian to a former world number one.
Novak Djokovic reminded Jim Courier of Andre Agassi at the Australian Open
One of the big talking points from the match came when Djokovic took a medical timeout in the first set, after appearing to feel discomfort in his leg.
However, as the match went on he seemed to feel more comfortable in his movement and was particularly impressive on return.
Alcaraz recently spoke about wanting Andre Agassi’s return, and it appears that Courier believes Djokovic emulated that against the Spaniard.
“Generally speaking we have just seen what Novak could have played like for his entire career,” Courier said on Eurosport. “If he decided that he wanted to return like Andre Agassi, I guess he could have! That’s what it looked like tonight. It was born out of necessity. This was a guy who had limited options once the injury took place.
“And Alcaraz is so difficult to hit through and the conditions were calling down throughout the night, but Novak’s forehand just lit it up. He was ripping the ball. All of that vast wealth of experience that he has earned over the course of his career coming to fruition here. Alcaraz and Djokovic offering another unforgettable experience as a tennis fan.”
Djokovic won 38% of points on return, and was able to break the Alcaraz serve on six occasions.
What did Andre Agassi say coaching Novak Djokovic was like?
While Agassi and Djokovic never shared the court with one another in a professional setting, they did have a brief coaching partnership.
After spending only a year together between 2017 and 2018, Agassi and Djokovic parted ways without a Grand Slam title as the Serbian struggled with an elbow injury during that time.
Speaking after their split, Agassi suggested that he had different ideas from Djokovic that made their partnership difficult to work.
“He’s just that kind of guy – he needs ownership over his own process,” Agassi said in 2018. “So if he’s not having the energy or the strength, that’s something he’ll figure out on his own. I’ve always believed in strength training, I’ve always believed in eating a healthy range and a quantity of protein. But for years, he did it his own way.
“You get to a point where if you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem. We agreed to disagree far too often for me to feel like I was helping him, and I cared too much about him to just watch him go through something I felt I could help him with.”
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