Djokovic's inspired comeback against Alcaraz draws Agassi comparison from Courier: 'Born out of necessity'

Novak Djokovic’s remarkable comeback win over Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open 2025 quarter-finals on Tuesday drew comparisons to US tennis legend Andre Agassi from former players Jim Courier and Mark Petchey. While comeback wins are not new for Djokovic, you have to give credit to the 37-year-old for pulling off against the 21-year-old Alcaraz despite suffering an injury midway through the intense match.

Djokovic lost the first set 6-4, but before the set was over, he was forced to call a medical timeout towards the end. He seemed to struggle with discomfort in his upper left leg. He limped around the Rod Laver Arena briefly before leaving the court with his physio.

He returned to the court with his affected thigh strapped but quickly regained his fitness and performance, winning the next three sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

‘Djokovic was ultra aggressive on returns, a bit like Agassi’

“The injury that Novak sustained midway through the opening set, we were wondering what that was going to do,” Petchey, a former coach of Andy Murray, said on Stan Sport’s Grand Slam Daily.

“But all it did was flick a switch in him, that allowed him to play the sort of tennis that we never really see. He was so ultra aggressive on returns, a bit like Andre Agassi.

“I mean, he literally just stepped in and lasered returns. And what it said to all of us, it’s like this guy’s won 24 majors and he’s played within himself. He’s played within himself!

“There was another gear last night that nobody else has seen before from Novak, and he’s good enough to be able to produce it and not miss. His return was so dominant against Carlos’s second serve…

“He just went nuclear off returns and Carlos wasn’t able to live with them.”

‘Djokovic had limited options’

Four-time Grand Slam winner Courier also compared Djokovic and his inspiring comeback win to Agassi.

“We have just seen what Novak could have played like for his entire career,” Courier said on Eurosport.

“If he decided that he wanted to return like Andre Agassi, I guess he could have! That’s what it looked like tonight. It was born out of necessity. This was a guy who had limited options once the injury took place.”

Agassi had in the past coached Djokovic for a year. The 24-time Grand Slam winner is now coached by Andy Murray and will play against Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open 2025 semi-finals on Friday.