Novak Djokovic quiets the noise to beat Carlos Alcaraz in Australian Open quarterfinals

Since before the first ball was even struck at this year’s Australian Open, Novak Djokovic has been the central figure of the tournament.

He arrived in Melbourne Park with a new, inspired choice of a coach in longtime rival Andy Murray. In an interview in GQ magazine that published just before the year’s first Grand Slam, he claimed he was poisoned during his detention in Australia in 2022. Then, after his fourth-round win, he refused to participate in an on-court interview after a commentator from the tournament’s local broadcast called him “overrated” and a “has-been” - a spat that made such ripples that it drew the attention of Elon Musk.

But no one in tennis can seemingly access peace amid chaos better than Djokovic, the game’s great adapter. He shunted the off-court distractions to some far corner of his impeccably organized mind and trained his attention on the job at hand Tuesday night on Rod Laver Arena: his opponent in the quarterfinals, Carlos Alcaraz, who is chaos personified on a tennis court - a wondrous combination of versatility, guile and young legs. Djokovic defeated him in four flattening sets.

His 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory - which arrived at almost 1 a.m. in Melbourne after more than 3 hours 30 minutes - sets up a semifinal with second-seeded Alexander Zverev and keeps alive Djokovic’s hope of a record 25th Grand Slam title.

“How in the world did you win this match with all the circumstances tonight?” Jim Courier asked on court after.

“Well,” Djokovic said, drumming up some “aw, shucks” charm at the doorstep of his 50th major semifinal. “With my two legs and two arms, I guess.”

Correction: One of those legs wasn’t operating at full tilt.

Alcaraz overcame a nervy start to take the first set in 54 minutes, after which seventh-seeded Djokovic retreated to the locker room for a medical timeout. He returned with his left thigh taped and resumed his usual searing tennis, even upping his aggression, perhaps in an effort to shorten points.

“The medication started to kick in, and they helped no doubt. I had to take another dose. … I had to,” Djokovic said. “I didn’t know - to be honest, if I lost that second set, I don’t know if I would continue playing. I felt better and better, managed to play a great couple of games to end out the second set, and then I saw that Carlos was hesitant a little from the back of the court. I took my chances.”

Whatever it was, hesitation or doubt in his strategy against the 10-time Australian Open champion, Alcaraz started showing frustration as he piled up 11 unforced errors and dropped the second set. The pair of champions are 16 years apart and in opposite eras of their careers, yet combine to make the most dazzling rivalry in men’s tennis. Already a four-time Grand Slam champion - and the youngest to win on all three of tennis’s playing surfaces - Alcaraz had been playing for a career Grand Slam, attempting to add a title in Melbourne to his two Wimbledon trophies and one apiece from the U.S. Open and French Open.

Alcaraz owned a 2-1 record against Djokovic at Grand Slams before Tuesday, but they had never played on the hard courts at Melbourne Park, and the 37-year-old’s comfort showed. Alcaraz’s strong legs and ebullience usually serve him well when grinding out points, yet Djokovic looked every part the master of his domain, doling out spectacular returns and committing 27 unforced errors to Alcaraz’s 40 (he had just 31 winners to Alcaraz’s 50).

Even the longest rally of the match, a 33-shot marvel in which Alcaraz saved a break point that would have given Djokovic a 5-2 lead in the fourth set but instead left the Serb clutching at his injured left leg, was no deterrent. Djokovic was in control - he had been shooting Murray wry smiles after good points and calling for noise from the crowd all throughout the night, soaking in the moment.

“I just wish that this match today was the finals, honestly,” Djokovic said. “ … One of the most epic matches I’ve played on this court, on any court, really.”

Djokovic’s first hurdle, before he steps on court against Zverev on Friday in Melbourne, is to assess the health of his leg upon waking Wednesday, though it would be no surprise if he continues playing with little hindrance. He won the Australian Open two years ago on an injured leg, after all, and despite Tuesday’s energy-sapping match, he gave the breezy air of a man confident in his ability to make history with title No. 25, no matter what distractions creep on the edges of his vision.

Well, almost.

“I - I heard your question,” Djokovic said, stopping in the middle of his on-court interview to locate his family in the stands, “but I’m surprised my kids are still here. I love you, thank you for supporting me, but it’s 1 a.m. When are you going to sleep?”