Djokovic (88.5%) and Alcaraz (85.3%) are among only six players in the Open era to hold a win ratio of at least 85% at the Slams, along with Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Rod Laver.
Tuesday’s encounter at Melbourne Park will be their eighth career meeting. It will be their first match at the AO, and their first encounter that comes earlier in a tournament than the semifinals.
Four of their ties have come with a trophy on the line. The other three have been semifinals.
READ: Djokovic, Alcaraz and the battle between experience and youth
Djokovic holds the advantage, with four victories, the most recent of which came in the gold medal match at last year’s Olympic Games in Paris. Two of Alcaraz’s three wins have come in Wimbledon finals.
Alcaraz could become only the third player to defeat Djokovic three times consecutively at Grand Slams, after Nadal and Stan Wawrinka.
However, the Spaniard has not yet defeated Djokovic on a hard court. This match will see the two active players with the best winning percentages on the surface at the majors face off (Djokovic 89.1%, Alcaraz 82.4%).
Indeed, Djokovic’s major win rate on hard courts is the best in the Open era.
Alcaraz is looking sharp at AO 2025, though. The 21-year-old required just one hour and 54 minutes to beat Alexander Shevchenko in the first round, and one hour 21 minutes to overcome Yoshihito Nishioka. Before Draper retired, Alcaraz was two sets up.
Djokovic, on the other hand, spent six hours on court to beat Nishesh Basavareddy and Jaime Faria in his first two matches. He may have defeated Tomas Machac and Lehecka in straight sets, but the 37-year-old had to grind those wins out – could that fatigue play a part in this one? Especially taking the age gap into account.
READ: Better with age? How Djokovic’s post-30 Grand Slam numbers stack up
There are 15 years and 349 days between Alcaraz and Djokovic. It will be the largest gap in age between two players in a men’s single quarterfinal at any Grand Slam since Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi at the US Open 1989 (17 years and 239 days).
The baton has not quite been wholly passed on just yet. Djokovic is still competing at the highest level, and still chasing milestones, while Gael Monfils has proved age is just a number at AO 2025.
But history is on the side of the youngsters.Â
From the quarterfinals onwards at Grand Slams in the Open era, players aged 21 or under hold a 30-26 win-loss record against opponents aged 30+.
Djokovic, though, has won six of his eight ties against players aged under 22 in the final three rounds at the Slams. His two defeats, though, have come to Alcaraz.
Alcaraz is aiming to reach a seventh major semifinal. He would become the second-youngest player in the Open era to make the last four at all four Slams. The youngest? Djokovic, who did so aged 20 years and 245 days.
Such has been the four-time major winner’s meteoric rise, career-Slam chasing Alcaraz would move behind only Borg (72%) for win percentage against former major champions at ATP level with a win. He would surpass Boris Becker (66%). Djokovic, in contrast, is at 61.1% as it stands.
Djokovic, though, could become the first player in the Open Era to reach 50 major semifinals. Win, and it would be his 12th last-four AO appearance, trailing only Federer (15).
A victory would also mark his 70th over a top 10 opponent at a Slam, the most of any player since the rankings were published, and draw the 37-year-old level with Jimmy Connors on 91.67% for the highest win percentage of any male player at the AO in the Open era (minimum 10 matches played).
The numbers tell their own story. This AO 2025 quarterfinal could be a clash for the ages.