Reminded of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic makes his feelings known on facing Carlos Alcaraz ahead of Australian Open blockbuster

Novak Djokovic opened up about facing Carlos Alcaraz in a mouthwatering quarterfinal clash at the 2025 Australian Open. The Serb decimated 24th seed Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) in the fourth round to reach his 15th quarterfinal at the Melbourne Major.

During his post-match press conference, the Serb was asked to opine on his blockbuster against the Spaniard to which he said he was ready for a big battle. The 37-year-old mentioned how barring two of their meetings, all of their five other matches have been epics.

"I'm expecting a big battle as it's the case in most of our matches, where we face each other," Djokovic said. (at 1:530

Interestingly, Djokovic said the intensity of his matchups with Alcaraz was reminiscent of his battles against his biggest rival Rafael Nadal.

"Maybe, just couple of times, it was quite one-sided. Wimbledon finals last year, he was the dominant force on the court, and I had a really good match against him in the World Tour Finals in 2023. Other than that, we had some long battles, long exchanges, kind of matches that I played against him, reminds me of my matchups versus Nadal in terms of the intensity and the energy on the court," Djokovic said.

The 24-time Major champion hailed the 21-year-old's tennis and was looking forward to facing him in the quarterfinals.

"He's very dynamic, explosive player, incredibly talented, and charismatic player. Great to watch, not that great to play against. I look forward to it. When the draw was out, a lot of the people were looking forward to potential matchup in quarterfinals, Alcaraz versus me, so here we are," the 37-year-old said.

This will be the first time the two men will meet in the quarterfinals of a tournament, having never faced each other before a semifinal.

"Novak Djokovic has almost broken every record in tennis, I try not to think about that" - Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic after their 2024 Wimbledon final - Source: Getty

Carlos Alcaraz entered the quarterfinal after 15th seed Jack Draper retired mid-match when the Spaniard was 7-5, 6-1 up. The Birt was struggling with a hip issue throughout the week. During the post-match interview, Alcaraz said he tried to not focus on Novak Djokovic's endless list of achievements before facing him.

"I'm trying not to think about that. If I think about everything he has done in tennis, I couldn't play. I mean, 24 Grand Slams, the most weeks as number one—he has almost broken every record in tennis.I try not to think about that and just focus on beating him," Carlos Alcaraz said.

The Spaniard said he'll believe in his tennis, which has taken the Serb down in the past.

"I know my weapons, that I'm able to play good tennis against him, that I'm able to beat him, so that's all I'm thinking about. Every player or the best players think when they're facing Novak. Just playing and believing in themselves," Alcaraz said.

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic's head-to-head stands at 4-3 in the latter's favor. The Serb has won both their meetings on the hard courts. However, the Spaniard was the player who ended the seven-time Wimbledon champion's dominance at SW19 and would look to replicate his heroics in Melbourne.