"Calm the f*ck down" - Mark Petchey defends Carlos Alcaraz after Australian Open loss; compares Spaniard's Grand Slam success to young Novak Djokovic

Tennis analyst Mark Petchey has defended Carlos Alcaraz after his Australian Open loss. The former British tennis player also compared Novak Djokovic’s Grand Slam career graph to that of the Spaniard.

Alcaraz was defeated by World No. 6 Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-4 in the quarterfinal of the 2024 Australian Open. Despite the duo’s comparable ranking and the latter’s advantage in the head-to-head record, Alcaraz’s exit came as a surprise to many in the tennis world.

Carlos Alcaraz had prevailed in straight sets in their previous Grand Slam meeting - the 2023 US Open quarterfinal. Additionally, he had spent considerably lesser time on court than Zverev (five hours and five minutes fewer), ahead of their clash in Melbourne. Alcaraz had also expressed confidence in his form prior to the match.

However, the Spaniard appeared surprisingly out of sorts during the encounter. Following the defeat, Alcaraz, who hasn’t won a title since 2023 Wimbledon, was subjected to harsh comments on social media.

Mark Petchey did not take kindly to the criticism. He quickly reminded the tennis world that Grand Slam leader Novak Djokovic managed just two Major title wins in his first 26 attempts, and collected his third only during his 27th Slam campaign at Wimbledon. He also pointed out that Carlos Alcaraz already has two titles from 12 Major main-draw appearances.

"It took @DjokerNole 27 Majors to win his 3rd Major @carlosalcaraz has just finished is 12th Major and has won 2. Calm the f*ck down everyone," Petchey wrote on X.

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Carlos Alcaraz after Australian Open 2024 exit: "It's not easy to beat Novak Djokovic in a tournament, it's even tougher in a Grand Slam"

Carlos Alcaraz pictured at the 2024 Australian Open

With Carlos Alcaraz’s exit, the stage is set for Friday’s Australian Open men’s singles semifinals. In the top half of the draw, tournament’s top seed Novak Djokovic and fourth seed Jannik Sinner will battle it out for a spot in the final. In the bottom half, third seed Daniil Medvedev and sixth seed Alexander Zverev will lock horns.

Following his exit, Alcaraz shared his views on the remaining field, and discussed whether any of the players would be able to topple 10-time champion Djokovic in Melbourne Park.

“I think the players that are in the semifinals have the level to beat him. Let's see,” he said in his post-match press conference.

The former World No. 1 who defeated Djokovic to lift the 2023 Wimbledon title, stressed that beating the Serb at Grand Slam events is tough.

“It's not easy to beat Novak in a tournament, but I think it's even tougher in a Grand Slam,” he added.

Alcaraz, however, also highlighted Novak Djokovic’s next opponent Jannik Sinner’s Australian Open run so far.

“But he has to face Jannik Sinner, that he's playing an unbelievable game. He has not dropped a set in this tournament. That means that he has the level and the capacity to beat Novak,” the two-time Grand Slam champion said.