Novak Djokovic has reached the semi-finals of all four Major tournaments this season, and he’ll be hoping to finally make it into a final when he faces Carlos Alcaraz on Friday. The world No. 7 has a winning record against the five-time Grand Slam winner, and he won their last match in the Australian Open quarter-final.
But Djokovic cast multiple doubts over the state of his body after beating Taylor Fritz on Tuesday night to reach the last four. On multiple occasions, the 38-year-old admitted he didn’t feel “fresh”, and needed to be physically ready for the challenge of taking on Alcaraz.
Asked how he felt after sealing a 6-3 7-5 3-6 6-4 victory in the quarter-finals, Djokovic replied: “Let’s see in two days’ time.
“The good thing about the schedule is now that I have two days without a match, so that helps a lot. I don’t feel very fresh at the moment, but hopefully in two days it will be different.”
Should Djokovic beat Alcaraz in the semi-finals, he’d still have one more match to win in order to get his hands on a record 25th Grand Slam trophy. And he knows it’s a big ask.
“It’s not going to get easier. I tell you that. Look, as I said, I’m going to try to take one day at a time. Really take care of my body. Try to relax and recover,” he said.
“The next couple of days is really key for me to really get my body in shape and ready to battle five sets if it’s needed.”
Djokovic always rises to the occasion on the biggest stages. He’s broken records and won everything possible in the sport, but even he knows there is no guarantee he’ll be fully fit for the rest of the tournament.
The No. 7 seed added: “I just would really love that. Would love to be fit enough to play and to play, you know, potentially five sets with Carlos. I know that my best tennis is going to be required, but I’d rise to the occasion.
“Normally I like to play the big matches on a big stage. It’s just that I’m, you know, not really sure how the body is going to feel in the next few days.
“But, you know, I’m going to do my very best with my team to be fit for that. There’s going to be a lot of running involved, that’s for sure. It’s not going to be short points.”
Djokovic has already raised concerns this fortnight, receiving medical treatment in multiple matches on his way to the last four. And Alcaraz is ready to wear him down and expose him physically.
Ahead of their match, Alcaraz’s coach, retired former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, told Onda Regional de Murcia: “We shouldn’t obsess over Novak; Carlos needs to focus on himself and try to push Djokovic to the limit until the match becomes physically difficult for him due to Carlos’s pace.”
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