Alcaraz and Djokovic Keep Tennis World in Awe: Are They Creating Their Own Event?

They were left blown away. Five weeks after the epic Wimbledon final which saw Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic to the post, the two champions, from two different generations but inhabited by a common determination and refusal of defeat, put the cover back in Cincinnati last Sunday . Without the same historical scope, of course, but qualitatively, the final in Ohio may still have surpassed that in London. Like everyone else, the Eurosport consultants have been amazed and they want more.

John McEnroe does not beat around the bush. For the American legend, this match is simply “the best in history in three winning sets.” “Their last two matches at Wimbledon and Cincinnati have been incredibly close and of exceptional quality. Together they are raising tennis to its peak”, Big Mac still judges.

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They create their own event

Beyond the intrinsic quality of the show, Mats Wilander was amazed by the fact that this gem of a match took place in Cincinnati. The Masters 1000 on the North American tour, wedged between two Grand Slam tournaments, are not always conducive to the full expression of the best. “I’m almost surprised, he admits to us. We had seen a fantastic match in the Wimbledon final, but I feared a kind of relaxation before the US Open. They are incredibly professional.”

Even if Cincinnati is not the objective of the year for these champions turned above all on the quest for the Majors (Djokovic, above all), they knew how to transcend the event. “It’s especially amazing from Novak, said Wilander. He has just suffered a painful defeat, he is waiting for the US Open, and he finds himself trailing by a set and a break in the final in Cincinnati. We would have understood that he ends up giving up. It’s crazy that he was able to come back, win the last two sets on the tie-break to win this final.”

Maybe because Alcaraz and Djokovic are creating their own event. Basically, whether they scrap in the Grand Slam final, Masters 1000 or elsewhere is of no importance. It is the confrontation that stimulates them, beyond the challenges of the day. “They played as if it were a Wimbledon final and the fact that the match was so close, so intense and of such quality made them say: ‘It’s too fun to let go'”, further believes Sweden’s former world number one.

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I would like Novak to play forever

“Rarely have I seen such a tough, intense final,” adds Alex Corretja, who also found it hard to believe what he saw. Especially given the playing conditions. “You have to understand that putting so much speed into the movements, hitting the ball every time in the right place when it’s so hot, that the humidity is so high, it’s is really very strong, underlines the Spaniard. Both suffered but sublimated themselves. Yes, it is one of the most trying finals that I have seen.”

Inevitably, everyone asks for more, like Boris Becker. But if Carlos Alcaraz is here for a long time, how much longer will we benefit from Novak Djokovic? “I would like him to play forever, confides the German, who was the coach of the Serbian champion a few years ago. It was a fabulous match in Cincinnati, we can’t ask for better and we hope to live again. ‘others. Both players left their hearts on the court.” “When we see him, we say to ourselves that he is still at least 3-4 years old at this level”, pleads John McEnroe. This suggests future duels of the same ilk as the last two.

The next deadline is near, with the US Open in sight. A new generational clash in the final at Flushing Meadows in two weeks? For McEnroe, even tennis fans in the United States dream of it: “Even if the Americans really want to see an American player go all the way, they also say to themselves: ‘I want to see Novak face Alcaraz’, in particular because he couldn’t play last year. This poster in the final, it would be crazy, and a great story.”

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2023-08-25 15:39:00
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