Australian Open 2025: Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz preview, head-to-head, prediction, and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (3) Carlos Alcaraz vs (7) Novak Djokovic

Date: January 21, 2025

Tournament: Australian Open 2025

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Hard (Outdoor)

Prize Money: A$ 96,500,000

Live Telecast: USA - ESPN & Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Sports & Sony LIV

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Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz preview

Novak Djokovic picks up a ball in Melbourne (Source: Getty)

10-time champion Novak Djokovic will take on third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz for a place in the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open on Tuesday (January 21).

Djokovic has yet again been in sublime form Down Under this year. The 24-time Major winner weathered tough early-round matches last week, going to four sets against unheralded young players like Nishesh Basavareddy and Jaime Faria. However, he has since stabled the ship, defeating 26th-seeded Tomas Machac and 24th-seeded Jiri Lehecka in his third-round and fourth-round matches, respectively, to reach the last eight in Melbourne for the sixteenth time in his career.

Alcaraz, meanwhile, has enjoyed a relatively easier campaign, having dropped just one set in his last four victories at this year's Australian Open. The World No. 3 has also spent far less time on-court than his older rival, having received a retirement win against 15th-seeded Jack Draper, who retired while trailing the third seed by a scoreline of 5-7, 1-6.

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Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz head-to-head

Djokovic has dropped his last two Major matches to Alcaraz (Source: Getty)

The Serb leads the Spaniard by a slight margin of 4-3 in their head-to-head meetings on the ATP Tour. The 37-year-old has come out on top of his two career meetings against his younger opponent on hardcourt at the 2023 ATP Finals and the 2023 Cincinnati Open.

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Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (Over/Under)
Novak Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz

(Odds will be updated once available)

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Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz prediction

Carlos Alcaraz hits a forehand (Source: Getty)

Although Djokovic has been a bit slow to get off the blocks at the beginning of his matches in Melbourne this week, he has shown great physical and mental strength to outlast his younger opponents thus far. The Serb's down-the-line backhand has also been firing, allowing him to set up points at the net.

However, the 24-time Major winner's forehand has become increasingly underpowered over the years, an aspect that Alcaraz — who has arguably the best forehand on the men's circuit — can take advantage of. The World No. 3 has shown more stability from both wings during this fortnight, mixing up his aggression well with drop shots and clever net play.

While the young Spaniard lost his most recent encounter against the former World No. 1 in the gold medal match of the 2024 Paris Olympics, he still has the edge in this match-up considering his current form and the fact that he beat the 24-time Major winner in straight sets in their Wimbledon final outing last year.

Pick: Alcaraz to win in four sets.