This is a real rivalry now. Novak Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz in four sets at the French Open. Alcaraz got revenge by winning an epic 5-set Wimbledon final. Djokovic got him back by winning a 3-set thriller 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 after 3 hours and 49 minutes at the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati, the longest in the tournament’s 135-year history.
This sets up a marquee US Open final if they don’t drop dead from utter exhaustion.
At Cincy Tennis, Djokovic showed that he’s not ready to change the guard or pass the torch to young Carlitos. Even though he seemed tired, distracted and negative in the first half of the match, Djokovic overcame adversity — again —- and won on his fifth match point to win his 39th Masters title and his third at the Western and Southern Open and deny Carlos his first at Cincy.
“It felt like a grand slam final,” said Djokovic after the match, joking with Carlos. “Boy, you never give up. I love that about you.”
“Spanish never die,” quipped Alcaraz.
“I’ve experienced this before (with another Spaniard),” Djokovic replied, referring of course to Rafa Nadal.
Djokovic had 19 winners and 46 unforced errors, compared with 42 winners and 50 unforced errors for Alcaraz. Djokovic made only 57 percent of his first serves compared to 64 for Alcaraz. But Djokovic served better near the end of the match. At age 36, Djokovic finished stronger than Alcaraz, age 20, who won long battles against Jordan Thompson, Tommy Paul, Max Purcell and Hubert Hurkacz to reach the final.
“Crazy,” said Djokovic. “Definitely one of the toughest matches I’ve ever played in my life. It’s unbelievable. From the beginning to the end, we’ve both been through so much, highs and lows, incredible points, heat stroke, coming back. These are kind of moments that I continue to work for day in and day out. I was never in doubt that I can deliver the A game when it mattered the most.”
“This rivalry keeps getting better and better. For such a young player to show so much poise in pressure moments is impressive.”
This was a crucial victory for Novak to regain momentum after the Wimbledon loss. While Carlos has been studying Novak’s game his whole life, Novak is gaining a better read of Alcaraz and his mastermind coach JC Ferrero. In the second half of the match, Djokovic found repeated success attacking Carlos’ forehand, pinning him to the middle of the baseline to reduce his speed and angles, and getting to the net before Carlos on big points. He was much more aggressive than in the later stages of the Wimbledon final where Carlos seemed to own the forecourt.
Alcaraz-Ferrero also found success hitting deep to knock Djokovic off balance and force him back from his favored position closer to the baseline. They also exploited Novak’s shaky forehand with looping balls bouncing high in the Cincy heat. Alcaraz, emulating Roger Federer’s SABR (Sneak Attack by Roger), put kamikaze pressure on Novak’s second serve.
All in all, the tennis world is eager to see another thriller in New York. Novak showed that he’s not done yet, and Carlos showed that Wimbledon was no fluke.
“It would be nice to play (Alcaraz) in New York,” Djokovic told the crowd after receiving the trophy. “For the crowd, not for me.”
words and images by Christopher Johnson Globalite Media all rights reserved
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