Novak Djokovic sends message to Carlos Alcaraz after "epic" Australian Open battle

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz clashed in a high-voltage match in the quarterfinals of the ongoing Australian Open on Tuesday, January 21. The Serb defeated the Spaniard in 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.

Carlos Alcaraz was disappointed in himself as he admitted to having mistaken his opponent's injury scare during the match as his vulnerability. This led to a change in his mindset which eventually led him to a heart-breaking loss and an exit from AO 25.

However, the duo was seen engaging in a heartening exchange online as the Spaniard congratulated Djokovic on his win in a recent post.

The Serb reacted to this by stating:

Gracias 🙏🏼 Carlitos. Another epic battle. You’re a warrior .💪

Djokovic's endearing comment on a post by Alcaraz - via @carlitosalcarazz on Instagram

The pair have shared a great camaraderie on-court. Even after their top-notch rivalries, both ensure that they are appreciative of one another- irrespective of the result.

"I want to say my utmost respect and admiration for Carlos and everything he stands for and what he has achieved so far in his young career. What a terrific guy he is and even better competitor," said Djokovic at his on-court interview.

"I'm sure that we're going to see a lot of him maybe not as much as I would like, but he's going to be there for sure, longer than me," he added.

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic rivalry reaches a new high after AO 25

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz shake hands after their clash - Source: Getty

After an impressive win against the Spaniard, Novak Djokovic maintains his lead in the duo's head-to-head 5-3. Their dynamic rivalry has always been a fan favorite as their recent clash garnered a whopping 2.7 million audience as per Australian TV reports and numerous more views, globally.

Alcaraz at his post-match press conference after the loss said that every time he has a match against Djokovic, he gets to learn something new.

"These matches, I'm getting so much experience about how to deal with everything. I've done great things in tennis already, but playing with or against one of the best in the history of sports, these kinds of matches help me a lot in the future to be better," said Carlos.

A terminator at 37 years of age, Djokovic, against all odds successfully proves that he is the master of this game, time and again.

He will be facing German tennis star Alexander Zverev in another exciting match-up for the Semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open to be held on Thursday, January 24, 2025.