Rising Star Alcaraz Stuns Djokovic in Wimbledon Final

10. Andrey Rublev – Holger Rune

Tournament: Australian Open
Round: Round of 16
Winner: Andrey Rublev
Score : 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(9)

It was probably a sign. The one that Andrey Rublev was going to take a step forward in this 2023 season. He would undoubtedly have lost this match last year after having wasted so many opportunities. But when Holger Rune serves for the match at 5-3, the Russian refuses defeat, breaks, before saving two match points at 6-5 against him on his serve. And it’s not over: in the super tie-break, he found himself trailing 5 points to 0, then 7 to 3, before coming back and winning on his 3rd match point 11 points to 9 thanks to a boost from the net. Rune will take revenge by winning two epic super tie-break matches against Francisco Cerundolo at Roland Garros then Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at Wimbledon.

Rublev – Rune: The highlights

9. Gaël Monfils – Sebastian Baez

Tournament: Roland-Garros
Tour : 1er tour
Winner: Gaël Monfils
Score : 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 1-6, 7-5

And Roland’s magic worked. When Gaël Monfils lined up for the Grand Slam, he only won one of his first 8 matches of the season, and again in Challenger and following the retirement of his compatriot Evan Furness (then 213th). It’s hard to imagine him competing with an earthling like Sebastian Baez, well anchored in the Top 50. But under the spotlight of the “night session”, La Monf’ shines on the Philippe-Chatrier court. Trailing 4-0 in the 5th act, the former French number 1 launched into a crazy comeback until the final explosion of joy. Without doubt the most exciting match of the men’s tournament and don’t see any chauvinism there.

8. Jannik Sinner – Novak Djokovic

Tournoi : ATP Finals
Round: Group match
Winner: Jannik Sinner
Score : 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2)

He would certainly have preferred to take out this match during their rematch a few days later in the final. The fact remains: Jannik Sinner gave immense pleasure to the Italian public by gleaning his first victory over Novak Djokovic in style during the group stage. Hitting hard and taking the ball early, he responds tit for tat to the world number 1 in one of his favorite exercises: the arm wrestling in rhythm. Mentally, the Italian pulled out all the stops. Neither the extremis loss of the 2nd set nor the break of his rival (from 4-2 to 4-4) in the 3rd made him deviate from his objective. After 3h09 of an electric match, he hits one last smash, smiles and simply raises his arms. This is how to beat a monster.

Great art: how Sinner choked Djokovic

7. Andy Murray – Thanasi Kokkinakis

Tournament: Australian Open
Tour : 2e tour
Winner: Andy Murray
Score : 4-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 7-5

Legends never die, they say. In this case, Andy Murray is undoubtedly one. And four years after his tearful fake farewell in Melbourne, he still gave Australian fans chills. However, the latter were logically also behind Thanasi Kokkinakis. But in the face of such a heart, how can we remain indifferent? Trailing by two sets and a break to nothing, “Sir Andy” and his metal hip brought the crowd to its feet for the first time by bringing back four smashes to break the break. He still survives when the Aussie serves for the match at 5-3 and changes everything in the tie-break of the 3rd set. What followed was a legendary comeback and a victory in 5h45, his longest match at over 35 years. We say yes, Andy.

A titanic battle and Murray’s stubbornness paid off: the highlights of his success

6. Grigor Dimitrov – Daniil Medvedev

Tournament: Rolex Paris Masters
Tour : 2e tour
Winner: Grigor Dimitrov
Score : 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(2)

Grigor Dimitrov is a magician. We often forget it, it sometimes reminds us. The Bulgarian lit up the Rolex Paris Masters in his class. His breakthrough was this magnificent duel against Daniil Medvedev. In addition to his usual dazzling performances, including a mind-blowing diving backhand volley, Dimitrov demonstrated tactical lucidity (especially in slices) and mental solidity rare among him. If Medvedev’s cinema in front of the Bercy public at the end of the 2nd set perhaps cost him the tie-break, he resisted everything in the 3rd: neither the break while he served for the match at 5-3 nor the 6 missed match points – including one in an exchange of 47 shots – did not cause him to deviate from his plan. And at the 7th, there is deliverance.

Here is the best match of the week: How Dimitrov got the better of Medvedev

5. Alexander Zverev – Jannik Sinner

Tournoi : US Open
Round: Round of 16
Winner: Alexander Zverev
Score : 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3

“I’m back.” Rest assured, Alexander Zverev doesn’t think he’s the Terminator. But by overcoming Jannik Sinner in the stifling humidity of New York after a 4h41 night fight, he savored his return to the forefront a little over a year after his terrible ankle injury. Faced with the man who shone in 2022 against Carlos Alcaraz (our match of the season), the German pulled out all the stops: 56 winning shots, 54 net climbs and impressive resilience in a roller coaster fight. Zverev will have experienced everything in this match: rage, despair (passenger), rebellion and… the cries of a fanatic quoting Adolf Hitler. But he had the last word. A beautiful rebirth.

Rallies, fatigue, epic: how Zverev dominated Sinner at the end of the night

4. Stefanos Tsitsipas – Andy Murray

Tournament: Wimbledon
Tour : 2e tour
Winner: Stefanos Tsitsipas
Score : 7-6(3), 6-7(2), 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4

Already epic in the first week in Melbourne – as we saw above – Andy Murray also thrilled the British fans. But on his beloved Wimbledon grass, the outcome this time was fatal for him against a very inspired Stefanos Tsitsipas. Yet “Sir Andy” certainly believes he did the hardest part by taking the lead two sets to one before curfew. But the next day, the Greek took advantage of a decisive game. At 4-4, 15/30 on his serve in the 4th act, he can do nothing about a winning backhand return. Judged a foul, the ball actually caught a piece of line but Murray did not “challenge”. The refereeing error cost him two break opportunities to then serve for the match. He won’t recover.

3. Jannik Sinner – Carlos Alcaraz

Tournament: Miami
Round: Semi-final
Winner: Jannik Sinner
Score : 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2

These two systematically make each other shine. They amazed us at Flushing Meadows last year, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz delighted us again this year in the semi-final in Miami. And this time, it was the Italian who won. Paradoxically, the monument of the game escaped him: a first set of 1h17 worthy of the “cosmic tennis” of the 2011 US Open between Djokovic and Nadal. With in acme, the point of the year at 4-2: 25 strikes of total commitment on extreme support – Alcaraz even falling in defense before leaving – laterally and from front to back until a backhand passing astonishing to conclude from the Italian. Mentally, he holds on to overthrow his explosive rival.

Dantesque rallies, 3 hours of combat: Alcaraz and Sinner fought one of the battles of the year

2. Novak Djokovic – Carlos Alcaraz

Tournaments: Cincinnati
Round: Final
Winner: Novak Djokovic
Score : 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4)

Perhaps the most beautiful final in Masters 1000 history. Beaten a month earlier at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic is hungry for revenge. Despite a complicated course, Carlos Alcaraz started the best: he stifled his rival with his intensity to lead by a set and a break. But once in survival mode, the Serb no longer missed anything, saving a match point in the tie-break of the second act. Then, he amplifies his dynamic with a break at the start of the 3rd. On the verge of cramps, “Carlitos” delays the deadline with the energy of despair before in the final tie-break, the “Djoker” finally imposes his law. After 3h49 of effort, he tore his jersey in rage, recalling his triumph in Melbourne against Nadal in 2012.

Crazy intensity: relive the best moments of the Djokovic – Alcaraz final

1. Carlos Alcaraz – Novak Djokovic

Tournament: Wimbledon
Round: Final
Winner: Carlos Alcaraz
Score : 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4

Novak Djokovic had not lost at Wimbledon since 2017. He had not even lost on Center Court for… a decade. So seeing the Serb fall in his garden is necessarily an event. Add to that a five-set defeat in the final inflicted by a 20-year-old prodigy who had only played three tournaments on grass before and the legend is being written before our eyes. Swept 6-1 in the first set, Alcaraz seemed set for a learning final like Nadal experienced in 2006 against Federer. But he learns quickly. The Spaniard raises his level, goes in front and resists the maximum pressure from Djokovic when serving for the match, daring again and again. By defeating a monster under these circumstances, he became one.

2023-12-06 10:13:00
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