Australian Open 2025: Why Novak Djokovic must 'raise his game' against Carlos Alcaraz in Melbourne

It's an unusual situation to consider Novak Djokovic the underdog at the Australian Open. Djokovic is Melbourne's greatest men's champion, with 10 singles titles already under his belt, and he is still in contention for a record-extending 11th victory on Sunday.

However, the 37-year-old Serbian faces a significant hurdle to reach this year's semi-finals – third-seeded Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. The pair will clash in a highly anticipated quarter-final match on Tuesday around 10:00 GMT. Despite being the seventh seed and younger than the 21-year-old Alcaraz, Djokovic's wealth of experience bridges the gap.

"Novak is playing well, but he has to step up his game," former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash said on BBC Radio 5 Live Sport. "As it stands, Alcaraz will win the match, but champions always raise their level, and we've seen that time and time again with Djokovic." Djokovic won their last encounter – the 2024 Paris Olympics final, but Alcaraz has beaten him in their last two Grand Slam meetings.

Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in a five-set thriller in the 2023 Wimbledon final, before completely outplaying an out-of-sorts opponent, who had undergone knee surgery less than six weeks prior, to retain his All England Club title last year. Djokovic gained revenge by winning Olympic gold on the faster grass courts, in a high-intensity three-setter on the slower Roland Garros clay, eventually winning 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2).

“Carlos is a very dynamic, explosive player. He’s very talented and also very charismatic. We’ve had some long battles, long rallies,” said Djokovic. “They remind me of the matches I had with Nadal, in terms of the intensity and the energy on the court.” Djokovic has won a record 24 men’s Grand Slam titles. Djokovic knows he will likely need to match that intensity over five sets on the fast Melbourne courts. This is the most anticipated match of the Australian Open so far, and their first meeting at a hard-court major.

"It's not very often that Djokovic is considered the underdog in Melbourne, it's probably been 15 years," added Australian Cash.

The statistics behind Djokovic’s dominance at Melbourne Park speak for themselves. In addition to his record 10 titles, he has won an astonishing 98 out of 107 matches since his debut in 2005. Djokovic dropped sets in his opening wins against American teenager Nishioka Basavareddy and Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria, with the help of his new coach Andy Murray. His last two wins against seeded players Tomas Machac and Jiri Lehecka were both straight-set victories.

After beating Lehecka on Sunday, Djokovic said: “I wasn’t thinking about Alcaraz before I won this match, nor do I see myself as a clear favourite. I’m happy to have beaten Machac and Lehecka in straight sets. It encourages me to believe that when I’m feeling my best, I can beat anyone on any given day.”

There is a sense that Djokovic may no longer be able to outlast his younger rivals in five-set matches as he once did. Jannik Sinner’s comfortable win in last year’s Melbourne semi-final, ending Djokovic’s six-year, 33-match winning streak, dented the Serbian’s aura of invincibility. Sinner and Alcaraz split the four Grand Slam titles last year, further evidence that the changing of the guard is finally here. It was only the second time since 2017, and the first since 2011, that Djokovic had not won a major in a year.

Despite many considering Djokovic the underdog on Tuesday, Alcaraz insists his opponent is far from finished. "He has a lot of experience, but when we see him playing, he looks like he is young again," said the four-time Grand Slam winner, who is aiming to become the youngest man in the Open Era to win a career Grand Slam. "It's unbelievable. He's playing really, really well."

It is not the first time Djokovic has been the centre of controversy in Melbourne. After beating Lehecka, he refused to conduct the usual on-court interview in protest against Australian broadcaster Channel Nine, after comments made by presenter Tony Jones on the show. Jones called Djokovic "overrated" and "past it" before adding "kick him out" – a reference to the player's deportation from Australia in 2022. Jones later apologised and said it was "a joke".

Djokovic insisted the spat will not further “stoke the fire” but the crowd reaction on Tuesday will be interesting. Despite public opinion being against him in 2022, Djokovic received a rapturous welcome on his return to Melbourne Park in 2023 and is usually well-supported. "The crowd might be tough on Djokovic," said former Australian world number one Pat Rafter. "Alcaraz is popular and after what happened with Djokovic the other day, they may react negatively. But Djokovic also likes the confrontation."