Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev have had plenty of battles over the years (Image: Getty)
The friendship between and will have to be put on hold as the stars will be battling to knock each other out in the semi-final. The Serb’s impressive win over has pitted him against the German who eliminated Tommy Paul in his quarter-final clash.
While the 37-year-old has made the first Grand Slam of the year his stomping ground with a record 10 titles won Down Under, he’s nursing an upper left leg injury that required medical treatment during his win over the Spaniard. He later admitted it’s a similar injury to the one he suffered during his Aussie Open title win in 2023.
Zverev might just smell blood as he attempts to reach his first-ever Grand Slam final in Australia and his first since his French Open final defeat to Alcaraz last year. While the pair will be at war in their mouth-watering clash on Friday (January 24), Express Sport takes a deep dive into their close friendship, which has seen both men publicly back each other in times of controversy.
Djokovic’s support for Zverev’s disqualification
Zverev’s had his share of on-court infractions but his behaviour in the Mexican Open in February 2022 stood above all. During a doubles match with Marcelo Melo, the German was displeased about an umpire’s call which saw him launch a swearing rant at the official before smashing his chair with his racket.
As expected, he was kicked out of the tournament for “unsportsmanlike conduct” but did an issue an apology, expressing considerable regret for his antics. Not immune to outbursts on the court, Djokovic admitted that the decision taken to remove Zverev from the competition was the correct one but had faith in Zverev’s future conduct.
“I think it was correct under the circumstances. Of course, it is harsh for a player to get qualified from a tournament. A year and a half ago I had something I can’t say similar, but I was disqualified from a Grand Slam with unintentionally hitting the line umpire. I realise it is a mistake and I have to take it. Hopefully he can reflect on that and not let something like that happen ever again in his life. I’m sure he’s going to approach it maturely.”
Djokovic and Zverev have been kindred spirits during their tennis careers (Image: Getty)
Zverev was witness to Djokovic’s temper
Tennis fans are more than acquainted with Djokovic’s fiery temper which was on full display during his 2021 quarter-final clash against Zverev. Down 3-1 in the third set, the Serb hit a return that smashed into the net that left him incensed.
After letting out a roar of anger, he then weaponised his racket and hammered the court in frustration a whopping five times. The lengthy meltdown caused plastic debris from his racket to be sprawled across the surface of Rod Laver Arena. The debris was promptly cleaned up after Djokovic audaciously asked a ball boy to clear up the mess he had caused.
Apologising to Djokovic after crushing Olympic dream
You’d think your happiness would be unparalleled moments after reaching your first Olympic final, but that wasn’t the case for Zverev back in 2021. The German surprised the tennis world in Tokyo by knocking out hot favourite Djokovic in the semi-finals of the competition, putting an end to his dream of clinching a Golden Slam – an achievement of winning four Grand Slams and Olympic gold that has never been done in men’s tennis.
The German broke down in tears after defeating the then-world number one and even apologised to him after embracing him at the net. Zverev was heard telling Djokovic: “You are the greatest of all time, I am sorry.” Last year, however, Djokovic did finally get his hands on the Olympic gold which had been eluding him, defeating Alcaraz in the final in Paris.
Supporting Djokovic over Vaccine Controversy
Nicknamed ‘Sascha’ the German-born athlete was one of just several players who publicly voiced their support for Djokovic in the midst of his -19 vaccine controversy in 2022. After arriving Down Under for the , the 24-time Grand Slam winner was sensationally deported from the country due to his unvaccinated status with Australia still subject to strict biosecurity regulations at the time.
During a press conference in Melbourne, Zverev backed his on-court rival and admitted it was sad to see the way he was being treated. “I think the whole world is talking about it, the whole world is talking about one of the greatest tennis players, one of the greatest athletes who ever lived, in such a negative way. Which I find very difficult. From my perspective, I feel a little bit sorry for him in the way the world speaks about him.”
Zverev’s reverence for Djokovic
Djokovic is arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, and he’s consistently been shown respect by his peers, including Zverev, who last year backed the Serbian superstar to break every remaining record left in the sport. “Djokovic has completely dominated tennis in the last 10-12 years,” he said.
“There is a reason why he has consistently been at the top of this sport. That is something that is shown by this record, being the player with the most weeks as number one in history, whether male or female. I’m sure he’s going to break more records, really. I don’t know if there are still too many to break, but the ones that remain, maybe he will break them.”
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Head-to-Head record
The pair have met 12 times thus far with Djokovic leading their head-to-head record with eight wins, compared to Zverev’s four. The German actually came out on top in their first meeting in 2017 which was the ATP Masters 1000 Rome final. However, he’s earned just three victories since with Djokovic owning bragging rights from their last clash in 2023 in the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati.