ANALYSIS : Carlos Alcaraz does not learn his lesson in latest damning Novak Djokovic defeat

Wednesday, 22 January 2025 at 10:05

We have preferred to wait a few hours to analyze the defeat of Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 2025 against Novak Djokovic in order not to do it in the heat of the match. There is a lot to say about the match, although in this article we will highlight some of the main events and details.

Carlitos started badly, but recovered quickly to complete a great first set. He broke Djokovic's serve at the best moment and took advantage of his physical problems to win the set with a break of serve. However, in the second was when the usual problems that we see repeatedly in the Spaniard began to appear.

Djokovic started again with a break. This time, he held the advantage for longer, although Carlitos ended up recovering it in time. However, when the Serb was suffering more physically, the Spaniard did not finish him off. He gave away too much to Nole, who was able to recover in time and play his best tennis in months in the last two sets.

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When you're facing an opponent of Novak's stature, you can't leave him alive, you have to finish him off. Both analyzed the match very well after the end. Djokovic said he felt that the Spaniard was looking more at him than at himself and took advantage of the gap he left him. Alcaraz, for his part, confessed that his biggest mistake had been to get lost because of it.

But the reality is that as one of the best players in the world he is, he cannot afford this kind of attitude on the court. At one point he even seemed to be mocking his opponent's injury, in a gesture that clearly showed that he was lost and did not know what to do in the exchanges.

Beyond the attitude, tennis wise he was weaker with his serve. He struggled to get speed with his groundstrokes and Djokovic gave him a lesson in the game. He was much less likely to go to the net than in Wimbledon, for example. Although it is true that it is a different surface, he lacked ideas. If he wants to enlarge his legend, he will have to know how to cope with this kind of situations.

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are playing tennis from the future.

Jaw. On. The. Floor.

🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

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— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 21, 2025

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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