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Carlos Alcaraz alleged of mocking Novak Djokovic in brutal 'limping' act before losing Australian Open quarterfinal

Jan 21, 2025 08:41 PM IST

Third seed Carlos Alcaraz lost 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 4-6 against Novak Djokovic after three hours and 37 minutes of tense action.

Four-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz was denied a spot in his maiden Australian Open semifinal as Novak Djokovic scripted a come-from-behind win in the blockbuster quarterfinal match on Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday. The third seed Spaniard lost 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 4-6 after three hours and 37 minutes of tense action.

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz reacts to applause after a point in a long rally against Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their men's singles quarterfinal match on day ten of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne early on January 22(AFP)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz reacts to applause after a point in a long rally against Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their men's singles quarterfinal match on day ten of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne early on January 22(AFP)

Following the loss, a video of Alcaraz went viral on social media where he was seen limping after the end of the third set. He grabbed his leg and limped over to his bench before looking towards his player box. The 21-year-old then sat down and again got up and started limping again.

With Alcaraz showing no sign of physical discomfort before the end of the third set or the start of the fourth set, commentators reckoned he was taking a shot at Djokovic, who had taken a medical timeout at 4-5 down in the opening set, after which he roared back to claim the second and third set.

“He’s kind of limping around. Then he gets up & does it again. Limping around & sitting down. He’s obviously fine. Just acting like he’s got an injury,” said the commentator. “He’s being Novak.”

After the end of the match, former India No. 1 Somdev Devvarman was asked by tennis legend Sania Mirza on Sony Sports, the official broadcaster of the 2025 Australian Open, whether he was "limping to show that he wasn't happy with Novak." And Somdev agreed.

"Yes, that's what I was trying to say. It was more a dig, a little dig at Novak and given the gamesmanship that was going on," he added.

Alcaraz, however, was left red faced over his act as he was broken yet again in the fourth set as Djokovic, who entered the contest as an underdog, wrapped up the match in style to extend his unbeaten record against the Spaniard on hardcourts to 3-0. He also leads the overall head-to-head tie 5-3.

Djokovic will next face Alexander Zverev in the semifinal.

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Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, where Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series.
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