Djokovic, the record holder for the longest time in the world, and Alcaraz, the youngest world number one, have met four times this season, with Djokovic dominating and winning three of them. Although by the time Alcaraz began his foray into professional tennis, Djokovic was already one of the greatest players in history. But he still attacked Djokovic with his amazing tennis talent. Let's take a look back at these four games.
French Open semifinals, DjokovyOddVictory over Alcaraz
Fans have a lot to expect ahead of Djokovic and Alcaraz in Paris for this high-profile semi-final. It was the second match between the old and new generations, and a year ago in Madrid, the pair played three sets to a seven, with Alcaraz coming back from three sets to win.
The two players lived up to expectations in the first two sets and showed the quality of the top players on the court. With a strong and accurate serve, a sound attack on the ground, and an airtight defense, the two joined forces to create 15 break points in the first two sets, which made the fans watching the game cry out for excitement. In the end, the two were tied in the first two sets, with one game each. But after the two tied 1-1 in the third game, Alcaraz developed calf cramps and then handed over the victory at two 6-1s, and Djokovic got his revenge.
Alcaraz said after the match - "[It was] the tension of the match, I was nervous in the first two sets. Djokovic also expressed sympathy for Alcaraz - "First of all, I have to say that Carlos is unlucky. Obviously, the last thing you want at this level is to have cramps and physical problems late in the game. So I feel sorry for him. ”
WarmCyber duelRaceAlcaláSRevenge Djokovic
In the semi-finals of the French Open, Alcaraz blindly rushed and paid the price for his youth. As he said, his lack of preparation against hexagonal fighter Novak Djokovic at the French Open, combined with emotional tension, led to physical problems. When we meet again this time, will the same thing happen again in the ** stadium?
In the first set of the two-man final, Djokovic first gave the junior a dismissal, broke consecutive serve in the opening game, led 5-0 in the opening game, and successfully won the first set 6-1. From the first set, it is not difficult to see that Alcaraz, who was beaten to cramps by Djokovic in the French Open men's singles semifinals, is still nervous and impatient in the face of this more significant match. But from the moment he won the second set, Alcaraz was more relaxed and threw himself into the final. Of the 66 winning points he scored throughout the match, 42 came in the back three sets, while Djokovic only scored 32 in the entire match. In this case, Alcaraz: 6 and 6:4 ended in three sets and won the match with an aggregate score of 3:2. At the same time, it ended Djokovic's 34-match winning streak at Wimbledon.
It's a dream come true for me," said the Spaniard after the match. "Of course, it's good to win, but even if I lose, I'm proud of my amazing performance. Make history in this beautiful race and play the final against the legends of our sport. ”
Cincinnati Finals, Djokovic 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6Reverse Alcaraz
Many fans would consider this game to be one of the best of the year, without one. Indeed, the game was full of twists and turns, ups and downs.
With a 4-2 lead in the first set, Djokovic thought he would be able to win the first set easily, but unexpectedly, Alcaraz caught up quickly and eventually closed the first set with a score of 7-5. In the second set, many fans have felt discouraged, Alcaraz's state is getting better and better, after the first break, there are already Deyo's fans who give up the game, but the anti-sky script was staged again, Deyo saved the defeat with his own perseverance, saved a match point in the tie-break, and won the second set. In the deciding set, Alcaraz's fitness was at its peak, and Djokovic broke first and took a 5-3 lead, but Djokovic did not win easily, but was chased by Alcaraz and dragged the match into a tie-break. Because Deyo lost a very crucial tie-break against Alcaraz at Wimbledon and fell into a psychological disadvantage, the commentator chose to be optimistic that Alcaraz could win the game, but Deyo is Deyo after all, his psychological quality is really not covered, and he had the last laugh and won his third Cincinnati Masters championship trophy and announced his strong return. The match lasted a total of 3 hours and 49 minutes, breaking the tournament record for match time and showing everyone the true charm of tennis.
Overall, it was one of the toughest and most exciting races I've ever competed in," said Djokovic, who ripped off his t-shirt during the celebration. I work hard every day. I never doubted that I could play in the A-list game when it matters most, [I] was very excited. ”
ATP FinalsSemi-finals, Djokovic 6-3, 6-2Take Alcaraz lightly
In the first four meetings between the two, each time it was bound to be seven, and no one side had ever won without dropping a set. This time, however, it was not, and Djokovic won easily. Even though the Spaniard hit 10 aces and had an 84 per cent first-serve rate. However, Djokovic, who stumbled through to the semi-finals, kept his best form for the knockout stage of the finals, maintaining a whopping 81 per cent first-serve win rate throughout the match, compared to Alcaraz's 61 per cent counterpart. In terms of second-serve scoring percentage, Djokovic also has 56 per cent, 23 percentage points higher than Alcaraz. The difference in service extensions allowed Djokovic to break three times in the game, while Alcaraz did not have one.
I wasn't as sharp in the second and third games of the group stage, but tonight I felt good from the start. "I approached the game with the right attitude and mentality, and I did. Alcaraz also admits that he lacks experience on indoor hard courts, and Djokovic is indeed better.
Novak Djokovic has a good chance of becoming the oldest world No. 1 in 2024, while Alcaraz is the youngest world No. 1 to date. The two are currently ranked in the top two in the world and it is believed that the two will continue to meet in the deeper rounds of high-level competitions next year. What kind of sparks will collide between the two at that time, we will wait and see.