After his triumph against Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic cheered as if he had just won his next Grand Slam tournament.
First, the 36-year-old Serb fell on his back after the converted match point, then he tore his tennis shirt with loud cheers. Scenes that showed how much this win meant to Djokovic – even if it was just the Cincinnati Finals and not at any of the Big Four events.
But five weeks after his bitter loss to Alcaraz in the epic five-set Wimbledon final, Djokovic wanted that title badly. For 3:49 hours, the currently best tennis players in the world dueled in a high-class game, then Djokovic prevailed after defending a match point with 5: 7, 7: 6 (9: 7), 7: 6 (7: 4) and put a bold exclamation mark a week before the start of the US Open in Flushing Meadows.
95th title for Novak Djokovic
“It was one of the most exciting matches I’ve ever played at any tournament,” said Djokovic after the longest three-set final since the ATP began recording in 1990. “It felt like a Grand Slam,” said the Serb, for whom it was the 95th title win. Djokovic replaced Ivan Lendl in third place in the leaderboard. “It was one of the most mentally difficult, emotional and physical matches I’ve ever played,” Djokovic said after using his fifth match point.
For the record Grand Slam champion, who had to fight hard against Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, it was the first appearance in the USA in two years. Previously, he had not been allowed to enter the country due to his lack of vaccination against the corona virus and was therefore not allowed to take part in the US Open. It was also his first tournament after the bitter defeat at Wimbledon.
Alcaraz had dethroned the Serbs in a dramatic five-set match in the classic lawn. The sting of the defeat then went deep with Djokovic, who was also deprived of the chance to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in one year. He had previously won the Australian Open and the French Open. “I hope and think we’ll play against each other a few more times,” Djokovic said in London about the dispute with Alcaraz.
After Roger Federer’s retirement and Rafael Nadal’s long injury layoff, Alcaraz is Djokovic’s new main rival when it comes to the big titles. After the Wimbledon final, Djokovic praised the 20-year-old Spaniard to the skies. “People say that his game consists of certain elements from Roger (Federer), Rafael (Nadal) and me. I agree. He has the best of all three worlds,” Djokovic had said. Alcaraz also demonstrated this unique mixture in the final on Sunday. Only this time, with temperatures well above 30 degrees Celsius, it wasn’t enough to win.
