Novak Djokovic has fought back to beat Carlos Alcaraz to reach his 12th Australian Open semi-final.
Djokovic was accompanied by Andy Murray in the coaching corner once again, as he beat the reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion from a set down.
This comes just days after Djokovic was caught up in controversy, after refusing to speak to Jim Courier on the Rod Laver Arena following his fourth round victory over Jiri Lehecka.
The 24-time major winner explained that he did this in response to comments made by Channel 9 reporter Tony Jones, with Boris Becker showing support for Djokovic after the incident.
Jones has since apologised, and Djokovic subsequently spoke to Courier on-court after his victory over Alcaraz.
Novak Djokovic jokes about agreement he has with Alexander Zverev
After beating Alcaraz, Djokovic will play Alexander Zverev for a place in the Australian Open final.
Zverev beat Tommy Paul to reach his third semi-final in Melbourne, but Djokovic joked with Courier in his on-court interview claiming that the German would let him win their upcoming match.
“I guess the key is recovery for me now, to be honest, that is all I am thinking about,” said Djokovic. “The extra day with no match comes at a perfect time for me.
“Let’s see if it’s going to be good enough on Friday. Let’s hope I can come out and feel my best because Sascha is playing some of the best tennis he has played. We have an agreement that as long as I play he is going to let me win Grand Slam matches!”
Djokovic has won 66% of his overall matches with Zverev, including all three previous Grand Slam meetings.
However, they have not met at a major tournament since the 2021 US Open semi-finals.
| Year | Grand Slam Tournament | Result |
| 2019 | Roland Garros (QF) | Djokovic beat Zverev, 7-5 6-2 6-2 |
| 2021 | Australian Open (QF) | Djokovic beat Zverev, 6(6)-7 6-2 6-4 7-6(6) |
| 2021 | US Open (SF) | Djokovic beat Zverev, 4-6 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-2 |
Patrick Mouratoglou reacts to Novak Djokovic’s performance against Carlos Alcaraz
Patrick Mouratoglou is currently coaching Naomi Osaka, but also has a big social media presence.
The Frenchman was reacting to the match between Djokovic and Alcaraz as it went on, waxing lyrical about the tennis that was being played.
This in particular was directed towards Djokovic, with Mouratoglou posting on X (formerly known as Twitter), “Novak is playing table tennis right now.”
Djokovic won 42% of his points on return and was able to break the Spaniard’s serve six times, which is more than the four previous matches Alcaraz played at the 2025 Australian Open combined.
This was also picked up on by Mouratoglou, who had a big claim about the Djokovic return, “Novak’s return is the best of all times. Period.”
Djokovic will be hoping that his return is firing against the big serving Zverev, when they reignite their Grand Slam rivalry on Friday January 24.
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