Carlos Alcaraz has shown once again that he does not have an ideal feeling with the Australian Open. The former world No.1 has never won the first Grand Slam of the season and has never progressed beyond the quarterfinals, not even this year.
His run in the 2025 edition ended in the quarterfinals against Novak Djokovic, who made history in this tournament by lifting ten trophies. The young Spanish champion had won the first set and inertia was all on his side, given that the Serbian's groin injury and the request for a medical timeout during the break between the first and second sets.
Alcaraz on Nole's injury
The 4-time Grand Slam champion was unable to make a difference in Nole's moment of greatest difficulty, who gradually began to feel better and won the second set thanks to a monstrous game. In the third and fourth sets, the 37-year-old from Belgrade raised his level and revealed all of Carlitos' current weaknesses.
The current world number 3 has lost his certainties and has made more and more unforced mistakes, being eliminated among regrets and having to postpone the appointment with the only Slam title he still lacks.
During his press conference, the 21-year-old from Murcia also spoke about Djokovic's injury: "Everyone saw that Novak was suffering in the second set and that he was struggling to move, while I felt in control of the match. My biggest mistake was letting him come back. In the third and fourth sets, his level went up a lot and I couldn't do anything. I should have managed the second set better, but his injury affected me a bit. When you face an injured opponent, you don't play at the same level and you feel more pressure because you know you can't make errors."
The former world No.1 will learn an important lesson from this match and try not to make the same mistake in the future.
His next tournament will be the Rotterdam ATP 500 in less than two weeks.
