What a comeback! Novak Djokovic defies age and injury to beat Carlos Alcaraz in the SF of the 2025 AO by 4-6,6-4,6-3,6-4. So, the dream of clinching his 11th AO title in the 2025 season is well alive, and guess what he’s now just two steps away from securing that historic moment in his career. Last year was the first time since 2017 and only the second time since 2010 that he didn’t win any major title. He’s now looking like a man on a mission. We saw him taking a medical timeout during the match, but he came back with a heavy strapping on his upper left leg to seal the deal against the in-form Spaniard. Did Novak Djokovic share any details about his injury, though?

In the first set, he was struggling a bit with his movements and was relatively less aggressive. Then we saw Novak Djokovic taking a medical timeout at 4-5 in the first set. The physio came in and at that time everyone thought it could possibly be a groin issue. He left the court with the physio and commentator Naomi Cavaday was heard saying, “Not a surprise that the physio is out on court. It feels like a bit of a struggle for Djokovic right now.” Even Tim Henman looked a bit concerned seeing the 24-time Grand Slam champion touching his groin area before leaving the court.

Henman even noted that Serb didn’t seem to be too “comfortable” off his left side and speculated about a change in tactics by Djokovic to shorten points duration. Everyone wondered what was he dealing with. Fans were curious to get an update on his injury during the on-court interview. However, when asked about that injury, Novak Djokovic looked a bit reluctant to provide details on that. He said, “Well now, since I’m still in the tournament I don’t want to reveal too much of obviously but yeah the medication started to kick in and they helped.“

He further added, “No doubt I had to take another dose. I mean this sounds awful. Me along another dose but I had to you know. I didn’t know to be honest you know, if I lost that second set, I don’t know if I would continue playing. But I felt better and better. I managed to play a great couple of games to end the second set. I saw that Carlos was hesitant from the back of the court, and I took my chances. I started to feel and move better.“

Speaking on his opponent, Novak Djokovic also heaped on Carlos Alcaraz by saying, “I want to say my utmost respect and admiration for Carlos, everything he stands for, and what he has achieved so far in his career. What a terrific guy he is, and an even better competitor. Youngest ever No. 1 in the world, four Grand Slams, and I’m sure we are going to see a lot of him… Maybe not as much as I would like, but he is going to be there for sure longer than me. I just wish this match today was the final, honestly.” 

Previously, we saw even Carlos Alcaraz reflecting a similar thought by saying that this is not the right player to play in a QF. This was his fifth defeat against the Serbian. However, amid all these, Novak Djokovic also sparked a bit of concern by saying, “When the medications start to release I will see what the reality is tomorrow morning. Right now, I will try to be in the moment and enjoy this victory.” Can he recover fully ahead of his SF match against Alexander Zverev on Friday (January 24)? Time will tell! However, his injury in this epic battle stirred a bit of controversy in the tennis world. 

“Don’t be fooled” – American tennis legend warns Carlos Alcaraz and the fans after seeing Novak Djokovic taking a medical timeout

Novak Djokovic has time and again been heavily criticized for taking medical timeouts whenever he’s put under some real pressure by his opponents. Is it a tactic or a necessity? Previously, we have seen many renowned commentators have alleged that he takes them to regain momentum while trailing in sets during his matches. One of the main reasons behind the criticism of his timeouts is that he often tends to perform significantly better after those little breaks. Who knows it better than his current coach, Andy Murray?

During the 2015 AO final, Novak Djokovic took a medical timeout before defeating Andy Murray in a four-set thriller. Even that time, his little break in the middle of this high intensity had stirred a major controversy. Andy Murray had then even admitted that the breaks distracted him. He was also seen complaining, that Novak Djokovic “takes them all the time.”

Guess what? This time he was sitting on the sidelines when Novak Djokovic made a strong comeback after coming out from that medical timeout against Carlos Alcaraz. During the 2024 United Cup former Aussie pro, John Alexander stated that Novak Djokovic’s strategic use of injury timeouts casts a shadow on his greatness, and this time McEnroe brothers were seen raising a conspiracy theory about Novak Djokovic’s injury woes.

Both John and Patrick McEnroe were doing the commentary for Channel Nine in this match. After seeing Novak Djokovic taking the MTO, John McEnroe said, “This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this routine. Don’t be fooled.” Then shortly after this timeout, we saw Djokovic winning the second set, and seeing this Patrick McEnroe asked him, “Did you see this coming?” In reply to this, John McEnroe said, “Yes.” Everything is fair in love and war? Well, Djokovic has definitely managed to win this war against the Spaniard. Now the question is can he beat the German in the SF?