HomeBangladeshNovak Djokovic stuns Australian Open to keep 25th Grand Slam dream alive

Novak Djokovic stuns Australian Open to keep 25th Grand Slam dream alive

-

Novak Djokovic has upset World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals of the Australian Open.

The Serb, 37, overcame Alcaraz in a titanic tussle at the Rod Laver Arena, coming from a set down to win 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4.

Djokovic will now face No.2 seed Alexander Zverev for a place in this weekend’s showpiece final and the chance to create more history.

Djokovic was seeded No.7 for this month’s tournament in Melbourne, with Alcaraz the No.3 seed. And he will now go on in search of a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title.

He had to overcome adversity to do so, though. It seemed as though this eagerly anticipated quarter-final would be coming to a premature end after Djokovic suffered a groin injury in the ninth game of the first set.

But Djokovic, who was cheered on by his new coach, Andy Murray, rallied and showed the heart of a champion to give himself a chance of winning an 11th Australian Open title.

When he was asked about the injury post-match, he said on court: “Since I’m still in the tournament, I obviously don’t want to reveal too much. The medication started to kick in and it helped, no doubt about it. I had to take another dose – I mean this sounds awful that I had to take another one – but I had to.

“If I had lost that second set, I don’t know if I would have continued playing but I felt better and better. I managed to play a great couple of games to close out the second set and then I saw Carlos was hesitant from the back of the court and I took my chances. Then I started to feel better, started to move better and it didn’t bother me or create any hinderance at the end of the match.

“When the medication starts to wear off, I will see what the reality is tomorrow morning. Right now, I will just try to be in the moment and enjoy this victory.”

Zverev booked his place in the tournament’s semi-finals with a win over America’s Tommy Paul, but his victory was marred by a furious outburst after play was halted due to A FEATHER.

The umpire judged that a backhand shot from Zverev flew too close to said feather during a point in the second set. The point was ordered to be replayed, much to the displeasure of both Zverev and the crowd, who booed.

The German was heard raging: “This is unbelievable. It’s a feather, there’s millions of them on the court!”

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes more than 1,000 live matches each season across the Premier League, EFL and more.

Get email updates with the day’s biggest stories

LATEST POSTS

At least 44 dead across 5 states, as Hurricane Helene rips through southeastern U.S.

Hurricane Helene caused widespread devastation in Florida and the southeastern United States, resulting in the tragic loss of 44 lives. The powerful storm uprooted trees,...

‘I wasn’t thinking about sex’: MP responds to claim that he made homophobic comment

Conservative Member of Parliament Garnett Genuis has refuted allegations that his remarks in the House were homophobic. The incident occurred during the question period on...

Sorority defends sending busloads of students to Airbnb in London, Ont., says owner was informed

A sorority event that brought attention to issues faced by residents of north London, Ontario, regarding a home rented on Airbnb would not have taken...

The Weeknd sets new record for most songs on Spotify with over 1 billion streams

The Weeknd has achieved yet another milestone by becoming the artist with the most songs surpassing one billion streams on Spotify this week. His track...

LATEST ARTICLES