Djokovic Admits He Considered Retiring From Australian Open Match Against Alcaraz
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Novak Djokovic achieved a stunning victory against Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open quarterfinal but admitted he came close to quitting because of physical issues.
Djokovic battled back from losing the first set to overcome his young rival 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. It was yet another example of the 24-time Grand Slam champion fighting back from the brink to manage an outstanding victory.
That success was even more remarkable because Djokovic struggled with an injury in the closing stages of the opening set. After taking a medical timeout, he continued to move only limitedly throughout much of the second set.
However, Djokovic still managed to win the second set by shortening the points and playing more aggressively. Alcaraz, who played superbly in the first set, was clearly impacted by the uncertainty surrounding his opponent's condition.
Djokovic's movement was suddenly better in the third and fourth sets. That surprised many fans after how much he seemed to be struggling, but it would be unfair of anyone to accuse the ten-time Australian Open champion of exaggerating the problem.
Speaking to Eurosport after the match, Djokovic revealed he could sense how curious the crowd was about the injury's severity before admitting that retiring from the contest was something he considered at one stage.
"We both feed off the energy of the crowd, but I think the crowd was a bit hesitant and not sure whether to cheer or not for either player, they weren't sure what was happening, they could see I wasn't moving as well. Maybe they were expecting me to retire, I must admit I was considering that, I didn't know how I was going to react."
Djokovic then said that recovering well after beating Alcaraz was his priority because he needed to be in good physical shape to defeat Alexander Zverev, who has impressed during the tournament, in the semifinal.
"A great win, very proud of this performance and I keep on going. The focus now is recovery really. I know I have another paramount challenge in the semifinal against Zverev, who is in red-hot form, but for me it's just about being able to move well and be able to play my best tennis."
Some questioned whether Djokovic would be entirely motivated after winning Olympic gold last season. That achievement means he has secured every significant honor in tennis, which no other player has done.
The ATP legend might have been reinvigorated by appointing his former rival Andy Murray as coach. While it is challenging to know every aspect that they discuss and work on, Murray's presence seems to have positively impacted his game.
Djokovic has benefited from Murray being readily available to advise because of the Australian Open's new initiative of having part of players' coaching teams courtside, a change that the Serbian likes.
However, Djokovic does not want microphones introduced because he believes players and their coaches should be entitled to privacy in their interactions so opponents cannot hear any advice.
