Give Andy Erling Haaland's nine-and-a-half-year contract, Novak. In the meantime, give him the freedom of Belgrade and also the Order of the Republic of Serbia.
Under his new coach, Novak Djokovic scored one of the most titanic and improbable victories of his career, shrugging off a hamstring injury to beat Carlos Alcaraz “in a leg and a half.”
The 37-year-old won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 and will face second seed Alexander Zverev on Friday for a place in his 11th Australian Open final.
“One of the most epic matches I've ever played on this court, on any court,” Djokovic said immediately afterward.
Andy Murray has seen this movie more often than most: Djokovic goes from a disaster to superhuman. It must have been a nice change to cheer on the Serb from the sidelines as his coach, rather than staring at him in bewilderment and confusion as his opponent.
That role was filled by Alcaraz, who looked lethal until Djokovic injured his hamstring. It was a brutal lesson for the 21-year-old and, after crushing Djokovic in last year's Wimbledon final, he has now lost twice in a row – in the Olympic final in Paris and here in Melbourne.
Novak Djokovic rolled back the years with a stunning quarter-final victory over world number three Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic's new coach, and former rival, Andy Murray, watched at Rod Laver Arena
The Serbian won in four sets after appearing to injure his groin in the first on Tuesday night.
A penny for the thoughts of Herr Zverev, sitting in front of the TV in his 12 foot tall frame watching his potential opponents hit seven bells against each other. The 27-year-old beat Tommy Paul 7-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-1 yesterday and is playing the best tennis of his life. Can Djokovic recover enough to defeat him? He won this title in 2021 with a torn abdominal muscle and again in 2023 with a torn hamstring. Can he do it again?
“I won't go into details, but it's very similar to what I had in 2023,” Djokovic said when asked to confirm it was a hamstring problem. 'I have to assess the situation when I wake up. I will try to do everything I can with my recovery team, with my physio. I'll take it day by day. I'm worried, to be honest.'
In terms of Djokovic's hopes of winning the title, the injury is, of course, a serious blow, but only in this match did he paradoxically turn the tide in his favor.
He was tremendously passive in the first eight games of the match, producing only three winners and generally failing to lay a glove on his opponent. It seemed as if Djokovic was just waiting for Alcaraz to miss; he had no agency in the party at all.
Then, at 4-4, he ran to recover a shot and it was evident that something had changed. In the courtside coaching huddle, Murray held his hand to his head in disbelief and pain. Hasn't the poor man suffered enough on a tennis court that the pain now comes to him indirectly?
Djokovic left the court for medical treatment and the doctor gave him painkillers. When he returned, he came out limping but swaying.
“I just had to try my shots,” said the No. 7 seed. 'Honestly, sometimes it helps. “It definitely helped in the second and third sets.”
The Serbian plays injured better than anyone. The way he handles his body, manages scarce resources, and changes his game plan is extraordinary. If, in some dystopian alternate reality, injuries were ritually inflicted on all players before each event, then Djokovic would have won 50 Grand Slams instead of 24.
The record Grand Slam winner received treatment on his left groin during the exciting match.
Alcaraz appeared to be in complete control, but relinquished his command and was unable to reassert his dominance.
It reminded me a lot of Djokovic's fourth-round match against Francisco Cerundolo at Roland Garros last year, when he won despite tearing the meniscus in his knee.
Just like against Cerundolo, Djokovic knew he had to survive this match until the painkillers took effect. At the start of the second set, he hit three winners to break the lead at 2-0 and, although Alcaraz soon recovered, that early lead. it bought Djokovic the time he needed.
He served magnificently and his return was incredible; those two foundational stones kept him there as his body began to recover.
In retrospect, Alcaraz had a half-hour window to finish off his man and he missed it. Djokovic admitted that if he had lost the second set, he could have abandoned it.
“I felt like I was controlling the game and I let him back in,” Alcaraz said. “That was the biggest mistake I made.
“In the second set he had trouble moving and I had to play better just to push him to the limit; I didn't do that.” “After that, he started to feel better and was playing at a high level.”
As if on either end of a seesaw, Alcaraz's aggression decreased as Djokovic's increased. “When you see someone struggling physically, it seems like it's going to be easier,” Alcaraz said. 'In your mind you're thinking, okay, I don't have to make mistakes. Then you're not hitting the ball the same way as before.'
Djokovic returned to his best on Tuesday night as he advanced to the last four in Melbourne.
The 37-year-old will face second seed Alexander Zverev in the semi-final on Friday in Melbourne.
Asked if he felt his opponent take his foot off the gas, Djokovic replied: “I saw it.” I tried to take advantage of that hesitation to take the initiative at the rallies.
'After a set, I start to feel better. Start playing with a little more hesitation from the back of the court. I started to play more freely.”
Djokovic was incredible in the third and fourth sets. It seems almost redundant to talk about tactics after a victory that was all grit and will, but a decisive factor was how Djokovic targeted Alcaraz's forehand with his second serve. It's not exactly a new approach, but if Coach Murray helped reinforce it, then he's already earned his corn.
When victory was assured, Djokovic roared at Murray and went to hug him. “It was a gesture of gratitude,” Djokovic said. 'This was a big win for all of us, including Andy and I, for the relationship. “That's why I went to him, because I felt very grateful that he was there.”
The Scot was hired to help his former rival combat the forces of youth; to finish off Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Zverev should be next to deal, but so far there is one less, one to play.