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Novak Djokovic's post-match comments raise injury concerns ahead of Serbian's semi-final match at Australian Open 2025

Published at :January 22, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Modified at :January 22, 2025 at 6:37 PM
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(Courtesy : Getty Images)

Aniruddh Seshadri


Novak Djokovic defeated Alcaraz in a blockbuster contest to advance to his 50th Grand Slam semi-final.

Easily the best match of the competition, 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic proved yet again why he is regarded as the greatest player in tennis history to have played at the Rod Laver Arena. In the quarter-final round, the Serbian downed defending Wimbledon and French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz in four sets.

After dropping the first set, the Serbian struck back taking advantage of Alcaraz’s lackluster serving and inconsistency. Djokovic exploited the Spaniard’s weak baseline backhand play, and his tactics eventually paid off, as he went on to win three consecutive sets thereby claiming the match.

With the controversy surrounding an Australian TV host’s inappropriate statements about the former world number one now resolved, the 37-year-old spoke to Jim Courier for a customary on-court press conference.

“Since I’m still in the tournament, I don’t want to reveal too much,” he began. “But, the medication started to kick in and it helped, no doubt. I had to take another dose … I had to. I didn’t know. To be honest, if I’d lost that second set, I don’t know if I would have continued playing.

“But I felt better and better, and I managed to play a great couple of games to end up (winning) the second set … I started to feel better and started to move better”, the Serbian added.

“It didn’t bother me, it didn’t create any hindrance towards the end of the match. Obviously, when the medications start to release, I’ll see what the reality is. Right now, I will try to (stay) in the moment and enjoy this victory.”

Midway through the interview, Djokovic interrupted Jim’s question about how he drew on his experience of managing injuries in Grand Slam matches to cheekily remind his children that it was 1 am and questioned why they hadn’t gone to bed yet.

Also Read: Novak Djokovic becomes first male in Open Era to reach 50 Grand Slam semifinals

The hard-fought encounter lasted three hours and thirty-nine minutes, with both players giving their all. After being broken in the first set, the Serbian called for a medical timeout due to a groin injury. However, the 24-time Grand Slam champion managed to overcome the discomfort and secured one of his greatest victories against the 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz.

The seventh seed will now hope to recover in time, as he is set to feature in his 50th Grand Slam semi-final. Novak Djokovic prepares to face Alexander Zverev for a spot in the final of the Australian Open for a 100th career title. Aiming for a record 25th career Grand Slam trophy, his recent victory over Alcaraz has put him in commanding position to fulfill his dream.

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