Alcaraz Gives Honest Assessment Of Djokovic's Physical Issues After Australian Open Loss
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Carlos Alcaraz gave his true thoughts about Novak Djokovic's medical timeout and sudden physical recovery in their Australian Open quarterfinal.
Djokovic looked to be dead and buried against Alcaraz after taking a medical timeout at 4-5 down in the first set. The ten-time Australian Open champion seemed no better when he returned to the court, and Alcaraz served out the set to take a 6-4 lead.
Throughout most of the second set, Djokovic was still not moving like he usually does. While that could have played into Alcaraz's hands, he looked confused about his opponent's condition and that might have influenced his drop in level that helped the Serbian win the second set.
At the start of the third set, Djokovic was suddenly fine again. His movement was back to its usual best and he went on to win the match 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 after a dramatic battle on the Rod Laver Arena.
Alcaraz was asked about Djokovic's physical transformation in a press conference afterward. While he noted that the sudden change from him in the third and fourth set was notable, the four-time Grand Slam champion did not think the 24-time Grand Slam winner was making a show.
“I think everybody saw in the second set he's struggling a little bit to moving. I don't know if it was more running to the forehand or running to backhand, but obviously he was struggling. Then the third and fourth set, I didn't see anything bad from him."
"So I'm not saying, like, he made a show. I just saying that, I don't know. It's obvious and everyone saw that he was struggling in the second set and then in the third and fourth set he was playing really good."
The 21-year-old resisted the temptation to accuse Djokovic of exaggerating the problem. Some players might have gone down that route in the heat of the moment after losing a match as important as an Australian Open quarterfinal.
Although Alcaraz's words about Djokovic were respectful afterward, some thought he may have been mocking his opponent's physical struggles after the losing the third set of their battle in Melbourne.
Alcaraz suddenly began limping in an exaggerated way as he walked to his chair in a manner that looked similar to how Djokovic was moving between the points in the first and second sets of the match.
The Spaniard then moved without any hindrance in the fourth and final set. His limping before that seemed very pointed, but it is impossible to know for certain if he was imitating or mocking Djokovic.
Alcaraz will move onto the rest of his season after resting and recovering from his efforts in Melbourne. He usually plays in Buenos Aires and Rio in February, but changed his schedule this season to compete in Rotterdam instead.
His chance of becoming the youngest ATP player to win the career Grand Slam is over for this year because of his exit from the Australian Open. However, he will still be young enough to achieve it in 2026.
