Novak Djokovic makes sporting gesture to Carlos Alcaraz minutes before taking on Jannik Sinner

Novak Djokovic took time out from his pre-match preparation on Friday to congratulate Carlos Alcaraz in person, after the Spaniard reached the Australian Open final.

Despite blowing a two-set lead, Alcaraz ultimately battled past Alex Zverev in a five-set thriller that lasted five hours and 27 minutes. That result saw the Spaniard, 22, reach his first Australian Open final as he bids to become the youngest man ever to win the career Grand Slam.

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And although Djokovic had his own high-stakes match ahead of him, as he awaited a semi-final with Jannik Sinner on the same court, the Serb took a moment to speak to Alcaraz backstage.

As Alcaraz cooled down on a cycling machine, cameras captured Djokovic walking over to shake the Spaniard’s hand and those of his teammates.

Although Djokovic’s words were inaudible, he was seen patting Alcaraz on the back and bringing the younger player to laughter while walking away.

Minutes later, the 38-year-old Djokovic took to Rod Laver arena to play Sinner, who is seeking a third consecutive – and third overall – title in Melbourne.

The Italian, 24, still has some way to go to catch Djokovic, however; the Serb is a record 10-time champion at the Australian Open, with his first trophy coming in 2008 and his latest in 2023. Djokovic is also pursuing a 25th Grand Slam title overall, to make him the outright most-successful Slam champion in men’s and women’s tennis.

Nevertheless, their semi-final on Friday has thus far resembled the evening’s epic between Alcaraz and Zverev. Djokovic has twice fought from a set down to force a deciding frame, which is ongoing.

Alcaraz’s match with Zverev was not without controversy, as the German, 28, angrily complained about the world No 1 receiving a medical timeout.

Alcaraz received treatment late in the third set, when he was still on course for a straight-sets win, having struggled with his movement in the preceding few games. The trainer came on and worked on massaging Alcaraz’s upper legs, before the umpire Marijana Veljovic announced a three-minute medical timeout.

Zverev was furious with the decision; under the rules, players are not allowed medical timeouts due to muscle cramping issues, which Zverev believed were the cause of Alcaraz’s treatment.

Zverev voiced his anger in German to supervisor Andreas Egli, muttering: “He has cramp! He can’t take a medical, he is cramping. What else should it be? This is absolute bull****! This is unbelievable. You are protecting both of them [Alcaraz and Sinner], this is unbelievable. Unbelievable. This is not possible, this is not possible. You cannot be serious.”