Iron Man Djokovic Outlasts Alcaraz In Mind And Body At Australian Open

Novak Djokovic has defied the odds, the age, the naysayers and Tony Jones by beating Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open in a scintilating quarterfinal match. The 37-year-old prevailed in four sets despite carrying an injury to his left leg just before losing the first set. Black and white facts aren't enough to describe the victory.

There was something familiar about the narrative. It was predictable in both its lack of logic and the fall and rise of the Djokovic durability. One minute his battery is dead, the next it can jumpstart into a Monster truck that rolls over anything. Making the impossible possible is a routine. Is it real? Reality bites for Alcaraz today.

Ailments might ultimately jeopardize the ten-time Melbourne champion's physicality for the semifinal against Alexander Zverev. John McEnroe thinks it could be a ruse. That is another story, especially when the German has struggles to get over the line in majors.

Djokovic has a hold over Alcaraz ever since the Paris Olympic singles final when he refused to buckle under the pressure of the Spanish Armada in Paris. That straight-sets defeat drove Alcaraz to tears such was the frustration at not being able to work out the equation that the 24-time Grand Slam champion brings on the other side of that net in extremis.

Before that gold medal match in August, the Spaniard had battered his opponent in the Wimbledon final. The Serb had undergone surgery on his medial meniscus just six weeks before but still went all the way. The World No. 2 is not interested in mitigating circumstances. Winning the big ones is all that matters now.

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That relative thrashing truly looked like the changing of the guard or some such phrase that is lazily rolled out. However, Djokovic was not done. He had a look of intent in the press conference afterwards. The mind was working overtime. Djokovic, injured or not, doesn’t lose Grand Slam finals in straight sets. Unless it’s Wimbledon 2013 against his current coach.

"Credit to Carlos for playing elite tennis, especially from the back of the court. He had it all today," Djokovic said in his runner-up speech on that sunny July day when Spain won on Centre Court and in Berlin at soccer’s European Championships. Everything aligned for Alcaraz that day.

That’s as good as it got for the new prince. Djokovic did his homework, did his rehab, doubled down on where he was weaker and came to the boil again.

Djokovic has the ability to dominate when the eyeballs and the ears of onlookers are sure that it should be the other way around. Andy Murray knows how it works. During the 2015 Australian Open final, the Scot had his current charge on the ropes. “The third set was frustrating because I got a bit distracted when he fell on the ground after a couple of shots. I'm frustrated at myself for letting that bother me at the beginning of the third set, because I was playing well, I had good momentum, and then just dropped off for 10 minutes and it got away from me."

Wind on a decade and see how these quotes are not a million miles away from what Alcaraz admitted having won the first set against an opponent who called for a medical timeout. “I felt like I was controlling the match and I let him get into it again. I'm going to say that was the biggest mistake that I made. In the second set I had to play a little bit better just to push him even more to the limit,” posited Alcaraz in the press conference afterwards. The maturity will come but it's another painful psychological loss.

There was an air of inevitability about the outcome even when the World No. 3 belatedly starting asking questions of the Djokovic serve towards the end of the fourth set. It took a 33-shot rally to prevent Alcaraz going 2-5 down in the fourth. All he could do was laugh. It was a better option than smashing a racket. After all, Djokovic lost a 31-shot endurance test to Nadal 13 years ago on the same court after five hours. He still won.

There is something captivating about Alcaraz, but also erratic. When he was broken to go 2-4 in the pivotal third set, the Wimbledon champion immediately broke back. He then lost his serve to love. Nothing was really under control. Djokovic's most dangerous weapon was the release that he felt after losing the opener, injury or no injury.

Djokovic knows there won't be too many more opportunities to show who is boss again. He's extending his time at the top by ensuring that fitness is not just a physical issue.