Carlos Alcaraz plays Novak Djokovic in the US Open semi-final, having lost his last match against the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Alcaraz is yet to beat Djokovic on hard court and he trails in the pair’s head-to-head, having lost five of their eight games against each other.
Djokovic and Alcaraz’s last meeting came at the Australian Open at the beginning of 2025, a match the Spaniard was the favourite to win.
Despite this, the Serbian overcame the odds and picked up the win against Alcaraz, who revealed his ‘biggest mistake’ after the bout.
Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘biggest mistake’ against Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open
Djokovic started his 2025 impressively by reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open at the expense of Alcaraz.
It was one of the best matches of the year, but Alcaraz instantly knew where he went wrong on the court.
“Honestly, I felt like I was controlling the match, and I let him get into the match again. I’m going to say that was the biggest mistake that I made today,” said Alcaraz to TNT Sports.
The Spaniard took the first set from Djokovic, but the Serbian fought back to take the next three sets to confirm his place in the semi-final.
The Serbian suffered from injury and medical timeouts, but Alcaraz didn’t apply the pressure to get over the line.
“I had to push him a little bit more just to the limit, and I didn’t,” explained Alcaraz after the loss. “I didn’t do it.”
“After that, I think he started to feel better and playing at such a great level,” said the Spaniard. “That was my biggest mistake today.”
Alcaraz’s last win against Djokovic came in the Wimbledon 2024 final, which saw the Spaniard win in straight sets.
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic’s head-to-head
Djokovic is the only player in the current ATP Tour top 20 to have a better head-to-head record over Alcaraz.
The Serbian has defeated Alcaraz five times, including their last two meetings at the Paris Olympics and the Australian Open.
| Year | Winner | Event | Surface |
| 2025 | Novak Djokovic | Australian Open | Hard court |
| 2024 | Novak Djokovic | Paris Olympics | Clay |
| 2024 | Carlos Alcaraz | Wimbledon | Grass |
| 2023 | Novak Djokovic | ATP Tour Finals | Hard court |
| 2023 | Novak Djokovic | Cincinnati Open | Hard court |
| 2023 | Carlos Alcaraz | Wimbledon | Grass |
| 2023 | Novak Djokovic | Roland Garros | Clay |
| 2022 | Carlos Alcaraz | Madrid Open | Clay |
Alcaraz’s wins have come on clay and grass, with two Wimbledon wins, as well as their first-ever meeting at the Madrid Open.
Djokovic has beaten Alcaraz on hard court three times in a row ahead of their semi-final meeting at the US Open.