In looking ahead to Tuesday’s titanic, generation-game quarter-final between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, Pat Rafter summed up the general feeling: ‘I think Novak’s in a pretty good headspace. He’s nice and angry. He likes to be angry.’
To briefly recap why the 10-time Australian Open champion is angry: on Friday, Aussie TV host Tony Jones was broadcasting from Melbourne Park for Channel 9 in front of a crowd of chanting Djokovic fans. He pantomimed turning to them and chanting: ‘Novak’s a has-been, he’s overrated, kick him out.’
On Sunday night, after his fourth-round match, Djokovic declined to do an on-court interview, explaining afterwards that he would not do so until he received a public apology from Jones and/or Channel 9.
On Monday morning, that apology arrived, live on Channel 9 from Jones, and the Djokovic camp confirmed that would be the end of the matter.
But things have been taken a step further by the Serbian Council of Australia, which has written to the Human Rights Commission accusing Jones of discrimination and demanding he be sacked.
The usual suspects piled in on X, with Elon Musk, Piers Morgan and Nick Kyrgios all supporting Djokovic.
Pat Rafter believes Novak Djokovic is ‘nice and angry’ ahead of his quarter-final showdown
The Serbian is up against the future face of tennis, Carlos Alcaraz, in Tuesday morning’s clash
Alcaraz made it through to the last eight after Jack Draper was forced to retire in the last round
What a hullabaloo. In his apology, Jones claimed he had already said sorry privately to the Djokovic team on Saturday, and offered to meet him in person, so could the matter not have been laid to rest there?
Was it really necessary for the greatest tennis player of all time to become embroiled with Australia’s answer to Richard Keys?
Djokovic may have the hide of a rhinoceros in absorbing the forehands and backhands of his opponents but when it comes to perceived insults he is as thin-skinned as a baby kangaroo.
The 10-time champion would have done well to take a leaf out of Danielle Collins’ book. Jones called the American a ‘brat’ after her ‘kiss my a***’ celebrations in front of a heckling Aussie crowd. Collins, as she did all week, laughed off the insult and demanded that Jones perform a viral dance from singer Charlie XCX’s album ‘Brat’.
That felt like the appropriate level of response to a man who has come across as a ridiculous figure this fortnight; more appropriate than Djokovic reading out his statement as if he were addressing the United Nations.
Given Jones has apologized, this matter will hopefully be as water under the nearby Swan Street Bridge. But its relevance remains in the fact that, as former Wimbledon finalist Rafter suggested, all this angst will be grist to the Djokovic mill for the rest of the event.
The Serb has always struggled to achieve the same adoration as Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. For many years he seemed desperate to win the love of the tennis public but in recent times has tended to fight back against the crowd, greedily imbibing any perceived slights and using them to fuel the fire of his unmatched competitive spirit.
The truth is Djokovic is by no means unpopular here in Melbourne. He is respected as a 10-time champion and fans are buying into his quest to take on the kids, with his old rival Andy Murray by his side.
Meanwhile, Djokovic beat Jiri Lehecka in straight sets to make it to this year’s quarter-final
At just 21 years old, Alcaraz is looking to become the youngest player in history to complete the career Grand Slam, as he chases his first major down under at this year’s Australian Open
He also has a legion of Serbian-Australian fans at every match. After the Commonwealth Blue, the Serb tricolour is the most popular flag here and over the years this has felt almost like Djokovic’s home Slam.
But he picked a couple of fights with the crowd last week and then this Jones saga: Djokovic plays better when he is under siege and, if necessary, he will construct the battering rams and trebuchets himself.
After his fourth-round win against Holger Rune at Wimbledon last year, Djokovic decided spectators’ chants of ‘Ruuuuuune’ were actually boos directed at him. ‘Have a gooooood night,’ he said to a bemused crowd of middle-Englanders. ‘You guys can’t touch me.’
A man who certainly can lay a glove on Djokovic is young Alcaraz, who has won three of their seven meetings so far.
After contesting four finals and three semi-finals, these cross-generational rivals will meet for an eighth time at an earlier stage of proceedings.
Both are chasing history here in Melbourne. Alcaraz, 21, is looking to win this title for the first time, to go with his Wimbledon, Roland Garros and US Open trophies, and thereby become the youngest player in history to complete the career Grand Slam.
Djokovic, 37, is after an 11th title here and 25th major, which would elevate him above Margaret Court in the all-time standings.
One of those quests will have a premature ending on Tuesday morning and it is not easy to divine which.
Djokovic, 37, is seeking a record-extending 11th title here in Australia and a 25th career major
Going into Tuesday’s match, the pair’s head-to-head record is 4-3 in Djokovic’s favour
Djokovic was victorious in their last matchup at the Paris Olympics Singles final last summer
Both men are in fine nick. Alcaraz has produced his usual blaze of shotmaking and, while his concentration has wavered, he has a tendency to lock in against the very best opponents.
Djokovic was shaky in his first two rounds but superb in the third and fourth. And of course he has one of the great brains in tennis at his beck and call. Murray has cut a calm figure in his courtside pod, chipping in with various bits of advice, but now is the time for him to really earn his crust.
At Melbourne Park yesterday/ On Monday, favourite Sinner survived illness and 33oC heat to beat Holger Rune in four sets. Sinner said he was feeling dizzy and at changeovers his hands were visibly shaking. He was granted some extra recovery time by a 20-minute delay to repair the screw which was holding the net down.
On the women’s side, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina beat Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 6-1. Svitolina is now unbeaten in seven matches against Russians since the invasion and wrote ‘Spirit of Ukraine’ on the camera after her win. In the quarter-finals she will face American No19 seed Madison Keys, who upset Elena Rybakina in three sets.
