On Sunday, Novak Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the Western & Southern Open final by scores of 5-7, 7-6(7), and 7-6(4), earning one of the finest victories in recent memory.
Despite dropping a chance to serve for the match at 5-4 in the third set, Djokovic came back to win after a thrilling three hours and 49 minutes in which both players displayed exceptional shotmaking and mental toughness.
Djokovic expressed his feelings in the on-court interview and said: “Crazy. Honestly, I don’t know what else I can say. Tough to describe. Definitely one of the toughest matches I’ve ever played in my life, regardless what tournament, what category, what level, what player. It’s unbelievable. Just overall, one of the toughest and most exciting matches I was ever part of and these are the kinds of moments and matches that I continue to work for day in day out.”
Alcaraz appeared to be in complete control with a lead of a set and a break and was just two holds away from winning his Tour-leading eighth title of the year.
Alcaraz congratulated Djokovic after the title win and stated these remarks during the trophy ceremony: “It’s amazing playing against you, sharing the court with you, learning from you. This match was really close, but I learned a lot from a champion like you. So congratulations to you and your team.”
Novak Djokovic in 2023
WWWWLWWLWL Now ranked no.2, the Serbian played his last match on the 20th of August when he defeated world no.1 Carlos Alcaraz 5-7 7-6(7) 7-6(4) in the final in Cincinnati to win his 94th career title.
This year the Serbian has achieved a composed 38-5 match record. Djokovic clinched 4 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open, French Open and Cincinnati. The Serbian got to the final in Wimbledon.
Djokovic will play next at the U.S. Open (U.S. Open). He will start from the main draw that will commence on the 28th of August.
Carlos Alcaraz in 2023
LWWWWWWWWL Currently the world no.1, Carlos played his last encounter on the 20th of August when he lost to world no.2 Novak Djokovic 5-7 7-6(7) 7-6(4) in the final in Cincinnati (draw).
At present, during this year Alcaraz owns a composed 53-6 win-loss record. Alcaraz has won 6 titles in 2023 in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Wimbledon. Alcaraz was the runner-up in Rio de Janeiro and Cincinnati.
Alcaraz will play next at the U.S. Open (U.S. Open). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 28th of August.
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz fought against each other 4 times. Their actual record is 2-2. Previously, the last time they locked horns, Novak Djokovic won 5-7 7-6(7) 7-6(4) in the final in Cincinnati (Western & Southern Open) on the 20th of August 2023.
In the following video you can watch the key moments of their match.
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz |
| Embed from Getty Images |
