It wasn't easy, but Novak Djokovic is off to the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open.

The Serbian beat world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz in four sets on Tuesday, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. While the numbers look lopsided, it was an extremely competitive match, with the Spaniard going toe to toe with Nole for more than 3.5 hours. Following the win, Djokovic, who has built quite the rivalry with the young Alcaraz over the last few years, dropped an eye-opening take on the encounter.

Via AP:

“I just wish that this match today was the final,” Djokovic said. “One of the most epic matches I've played on this court. On any court.”

That's saying a lot. Novak Djokovic has won the Australian Open a record 10 times and had many epic battles in Melbourne over the last decade. But, Tuesday's match ranks among the best of them. These two have clashed in several finals before though, most recently in the Paris Olympics last summer, where Nole took home gold for the first time for Serbia.

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In fact, he's now won back-to-back meetings with Alcaraz after this latest victory. Overall, Djokovic has a 5-3 advantage against the 21-year-old.

“I'm sure we are going to see a lot of him,” Djokovic said. “Maybe not as much as I would like.”

While Novak Djokovic isn't exactly in the prime of his career anymore, he can still compete with the best of the best. That's exactly what Alcaraz is. Although he's still young and does make careless mistakes at times, Alcaraz has it all. He has a great serve, a solid forehand, a quality backhand, and he's more athletic than arguably anybody on the ATP Tour.

Next up for Djokovic is German sensation Alexander Zverev, who has enjoyed a resurgence over the last couple of years after dealing with injuries and off-court issues. Nole is 8-4 all-time against the No. 2 ranked Zverev and most recently beat him in the semifinals in Cincinnati in 2023.