Novak Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz in four sets to advance to the semi-finals of the 2025 Australian Open.
128 men entered, and now just six remain, as the Australian Open enters the home stretch.
Alcaraz lost to Djokovic in four sets, to seal his exit in Melbourne at the quarter-final stage for the second year running.
Alexander Zverev beat Tommy Paul earlier on Tuesday, despite facing set points in each of the first two sets.
The pair will now meet in Friday’s semi-finals, as two of the top ATP stars left in the competition.
With just six men remaining, Alcaraz gave his prediction as to who will come out on top down under, after his exit was confirmed.
Carlos Alcaraz picks Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, and Alexander Zverev as his Australian Open favorites
During his post-match press conference, Alcaraz was asked to pick his favorite for the Australian Open.
“I mean, the four, I mean, they have to play quarterfinals,” he said.
“I don’t know, Sascha [Zverev], [Novak] Djokovic, Jannik [Sinner] for me are the favorites.
“That’s for sure, I can’t say one.”
Alcaraz named three of the remaining six participants in this year’s Australian Open, missing out on three players who are yet to play their quarter-final ties.
| Name | Next opponent | Best Grand Slam result | Does Carlos Alcaraz consider them a favorite? |
| Novak Djokovic | SF – Alexander Zverev | W – X 24 | Yes |
| Alexander Zverev | SF – Novak Djokovic | F – 2020 US Open, 2024 French Open | Yes |
| Jannik Sinner | QF – Alex de Minaur | W – 2024 Australian Open, 2024 US Open | Yes |
| Alex de Minaur | QF – Jannik Sinner | QF – X 5 | No |
| Ben Shelton | QF – Lorenzo Sonego | SF – 2023 US Open | No |
| Lorenzo Sonego | QF – Ben Shelton | QF – 2025 Australian Open* | No |
Ben Shelton and Lorenzo Sonego are set to face off in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, with one of the American and Italian guaranteed a place in the last four.
On the other side, Alex de Minaur will play Sinner in the quarter-final, as the home favorite faces the unenviable challenge of taking on the world number one and defending champion.
Alcaraz’s answer doesn’t seem all that outrageous, as Sinner is widely considered to be the favorite against De Minaur, and the winner of Shelton/Sonego.
However, it would be careless to rule them out, as Grand Slam tennis can always spring a surprise when you least expect it.
-Carlos Alcaraz thinks Novak Djokovic played at the ‘same level’ in their last two matches
Alcaraz’s defeat to Djokovic in Melbourne was his second in a row against the Serb, having lost to him at the Olympic Games in 2024.
The 37-year-old won in straight sets, 7-6, 7-6, as he secured a first-career Gold medal.
After his defeat in Melbourne, Alcaraz was asked to compare Djokovic’s level from their two most recent encounters.
“Well, it’s difficult to compare because it’s different conditions,” he said.
“It’s clay, Paris, I mean, different time, it’s just different.
“I mean, his level probably, I don’t know, same level, I mean, the third and the fourth set, I think [we] both played such great tennis.
“Comparing to that match, probably same level, I don’t remember right now what level he played.
“I know that he played such a high level in the Olympic Games.
“Right now I don’t know the difference, probably I could say it might be the same.”
With his win over Alcaraz in Melbourne, Djokovic extended his head-to-head advantage over the Spaniard to 5-3.
He’ll no doubt be hoping to continue to beat his younger rival through the remainder of 2025.
Djokovic will return to the court to take on Zverev in the semi-final on Friday, January 24.
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