Novak Djokovic, 37, defeated Carlos Alcaraz, 21, in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open (4-6, 6-4, 6-3 and 6-4), a match the Serbian held at 4-5 in the first set to seek medical help because of the physical discomfort that, at times, seemed to prevent him from continuing to the end.
After returning from the locker room with a compression bandage on his left thigh, Djokovic lost the first round against the Murcian (4-6), but since then he started to be more aggressive and looking for winning shots, knowing the long exchanges was not They suited him against a more physically solid Alcaraz.
Obviously, this tactic is very dangerous, but Novak’s quality is such that he can direct it on the right path and, despite his apparent hesitation on the move, it allows him to score the next three and reach his 50 Grand Slam semi-finals.
After the match, Djokovic said that, if he had lost the second set, he probably would have abandoned the match, but the fact that he signed up for that second set, he recovered from the discomfort as the game over. moving with total normality.
“I think that someone who is thinking about retiring in the second would not have played the way he did. I’m not going to go into details, but I don’t think he would have retired,” said Alcaraz in his press conference.
Asked what he thought of ‘Nole’s physical condition, Alcaraz said that “everyone has seen it.” “In the second set, everyone saw that it was a bit difficult for him to move. Then, in the third and fourth, I didn’t see anything wrong. I’m not saying that he put on a ‘show’, I’m just saying that I don’t know, it’s obvious He is poor in the second, good in the third and fourth,” answered the Murcian.
Even louder about Djokovic was the legendary John McEnroe in his broadcast for ESPN. “It’s not the first time we’ve seen this. Don’t be fooled,” said the legendary American tennis player, reminding us that the Serbian has precedents for these things that undermine his credibility.
Source: La Verdad
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