Djokovic, Cincinnati champion against Alcaraz in an epic final to remember

He reached the final of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 suffering, having to pull epic on more occasions than expected. The world number 1, Carlos Alcaraz, had to sweat hard in the round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals, even up to his neck in water on several occasions. He is far from his best level. He showed race, stamina and won fights where he seemed stuck. Thus he managed to reach the final and Novak Djokovic was waiting for him there. It seemed to have everything against a Novak that came on foot. But the parity seen in the final of the Cincinnati Masters 1,000 was worthy of one of the best matches of the decade.

To save it and spend an entire afternoon clapping. Carlos rose to the occasion to give the tennis planet with his rival the best match it has ever seen.

Spanish seems different. A physical, mental animal and in his usual quality. But in front of him was just a Novak champion, with the same elements, which this time turned out to be great because of his huge competitive gene. He brings everyone back to the important moments. He didn’t give up. Never. So is Alcaraz. The match was a titanic endurance fight between two beasts of competition. He can only win one, unfortunately. And after more than 3 hours and 49 minutes, Novak prevailed 7-5, 6-7 (7), 6-7 (4) after a spectacular, electric, colorful match, full of script twists .an ongoing battle of those who will be remembered for years, of those who create fans. Djokovic won, but above all, tennis won.

Djokovic completed an incredible victory in an epic and dramatic match where he seemed to have lost everything in the early stages. The man from Belgrade had a heat stroke in the first set, he gave the feeling of being totally sunk, out and out of options. KO But he rose again midway through the second set, came back and prevailed in spectacular fashion. Another from a Serb who never ceases to amaze. “It was one of the hardest matches of my career,” Djokovic said. Alcaraz couldn’t hold back the tears because of the stress. The show they offer is amazing. And eyes: If they repeat at the US Open in a few days, in 5 sets, the final could be even more historic.

Good start

All things being equal, as seen this week, Djokovic seems to be a favorite, to a better degree, with things clearer. But Carlos showed at the start of the clash that he had one of the best afternoons. The fight can be a massive battle. Djokovic put in another march with a fast ‘break’ with 2-2 on the scoreboard. He went up 2-3 and with his consistency on serve he put the first set on track with 2-4. But there, staying in the sun, he began to leave symptoms that something was wrong. The break went in Alcaraz’s favor, with a shot that Djokovic could do nothing but applaud, an incredible parallel backhand he sent over his opponent’s line. Alcaraz leveled the match and turned the game around by taking advantage of the fact that he had three break points on Djokovic’s next serve.

Heat stroke

That’s when Novak slowed down the pace of the match. It’s like being somewhere else. Outside the party. That’s wrong. It took a while to come out. And then he asked for creatine to be brought to him to recover. There is something wrong. He had a heat stroke. Alcaraz took the first set almost single-handedly. And Djokovic’s discomfort was confirmed at the start of the second set.

The heat of Cincinnati seems to be an ally against an Alcaraz who, at the age of 20, is a physical wonder who, accustomed to the temperature of Murcia, showed a good level against a number 2 who, at 36 years old, seems to have sunk. At 2-1, he made three double faults in a row, making it clear that he wasn’t doing well. I am suffering. He sat down again and seek help from a doctor. He had to go on, but his soul couldn’t. He continued on the track as best he could against an Alcaraz who did not give up but was also unable to finish his rival due to his excellent time management.

It’s not the first time Djokovic has slowed the pace of a match when he’s behind on the scoreboard. It happened again. It seems to come out perfectly. He needs time for his body to respond to the creatine, water, and stress of the moment. And even if it seems impossible, when he was almost knocked out, Djokovic rallied. Alcaraz was unable to finish him off and Djokovic was starting to show signs of a comeback. It’s starting to carburate. It might be too late, not for Novak, old dog, whatever it is, he’s regaining his strength and level to get back into the game.

Djokovic bounced back and forced a third set

From the look on his face, still red from the heat, it seemed that he was not Novak. But his tennis yes. Just when all seemed lost, the winner of 23 Grand Slams confirmed his comeback. Alcaraz added a new lesson: never trust his opponent, even if he is on the canvas. And he showed great courage and ability to stay out of the game. When Djokovic returned to sixth gear, Alcaraz responded and rose to the occasion. It is how a ‘tie-break’ is reached that can be decisive. If Alcaraz wins, he will win the final. If Djokovic wins, he will force a third set.

The ‘tie-break’ is a heart attack. It went from Djokovic’s initial ‘mini break’, to Alcaraz’s recovery. Then came a match point for the Spaniard, who saved Novak with a massive claw. And then, two set points. The second came at 7-8 after 2 hours and 8 minutes of meeting. The public prefers it. “Nole, Nole”, they shouted to give him more strength. And the next point is suffering. The tension can be cut with a knife. A right hand resulted in an exchange of topspin punches. One of the two has to attack this long point. Alcaraz did it, but he found the net. Djokovic closed out the second set and extended the match into the final third set. The final battle.

Last fight

The third set will be an all-out battle between two true tennis beasts. Unforgettable. Now free of physical problems, the sport applauded the arrival of a front of such greatness. The tennis seen was fantastic, with games lasting up to 10 minutes and more unexpected script changes.

Djokovic tightened up with 2-2 on the scoreboard, putting Carlos’ serve in trouble, but the Spaniard fought back to make it 3-2. Novak sat on the lounge and covered his face with a wet towel, as if he still had symptoms of earlier discomfort. But in his tennis, there is no trace of it. He pushed to the maximum, but his worst pain this Sunday was Alcaraz. Carlos reminded him of a fantastic ‘passing’ backhand that left him one point away from the ‘break’ ball. But Djokovic responded with his second straight serve. The fight was good. Among the two greatest of the moment and no one gave up on their serve despite the intense persistence of their opponent.

At 3-3, Alcaraz saved four break balls against a wall-looking Novak and completely returned everything. He couldn’t save the fifth and Djokovic turned the game around at 4-3. Alcaraz tried everything, saving two match balls with 3-5. And at 4-5, Alcaraz grabbed that return and went from there, to save up to 4 match points in a painful game, until the ‘break’ was regained on an inhuman point where Alcaraz returned an impossible ball from under the clue. 5-5. Unbelievable. Alcaraz did the hardest thing, but he had to keep rowing through another 10-minute game with many break points that Novak did not take advantage of against a seemingly immortal Carlos. In total, Carlos saved 12 of his rival’s 13 break balls in the third set. An epic resistance. 6-5 was confirmed for Alcaraz and Djokovic forced the ‘tie-break’.

The game was decided in a ‘tie-break’ in which Djokovic prevailed. There, there is one point that explains everything: a long exchange in which two players return the ball with almost no force, from one side to the other, until one of the two misses. They are sold out. The outcome was just as lively, but in the end, the Serb’s superiority in his serve ended in levels. Djokovic won by dominating that ‘tie-break’ 4-7. But most of all, he won tennis. The naughty party!

So Djokovic came into the US Open close to Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP Rankings. All the more reason to feed the desire for revenge of the Murcian, still World Number 1, who wants to respond in New York.