Alcaraz vs. Djokovic at the US Open: How each can win
New York – Novak Djokovic knows that the world expects another final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday at the US Open.
And even him – the man with the most important titles in history and someone who spent 428 weeks at the top of the ranking – believes that they are the two best players in the world. He spoke openly about the importance of the duo for sport and its future.
But despite all this, the Djokovic, 38, is not yet quite ready to pass the stick.
“Everyone is probably waiting for and anticipates the finals between two of them,” said Djokovic after his quarter -final victory against Taylor Fritz on Tuesday. “I will try, you know, spoil the plans of most people.”
Djokovic will have his chance to do just this Friday while he will face Alcaraz, 22, seeded n ° 2, in a long-awaited semi-final match. The winner will face the best classified sinner or the seeded n ° 25 Felix Auger-Aliassime, who also played on Friday, during the final on Sunday. Alcaraz and Sinner played against each other in the previous two Slam finals, Wimbledon and the French Open, and combined to win the last seven major titles.
Friday will mark the ninth career meeting between Djokovic and Alcaraz, Djokovic having an advantage of 5-3 and with the two most recent victories. But even with this story, Alcaraz is always favored to win the match.
For both players, there are a lot on the line. Djokovic hopes to keep his dream alive to win his 25th major slam title, which would break a draw for the most time with Margaret Court, and Alcaraz would like to reach his third major consecutive final and potentially win the sixth in his career.
Here is everything you need to know before the semi-final on Friday.
Can Djokovic do it?
Djokovic has a few things for him. First of all, he never lost against Alcaraz on Hard Court. Their last meeting, in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open to start the year, saw Djokovic forces a return – after having undergone an injury to the leg early and abandoned the opening set – behind powerful frills, a strong defense and a vintage movement which seemed to improve as the match progressed.
Alcaraz later admitted that Djokovic’s injury had made him lose his concentration slightly, and Djokovic awarded his vast career experience to help him overcome the obstacle and any distraction.
Throughout the US Open, Djokovic was pushed to four sets in three of his five games, including in his 6-3, 7-5, 3-4, 6-4 victory against Fritz on Tuesday. He made fears of injuries, various degrees of gravity, throughout the tournament and the season, and it was grateful to have the additional day before the force test in the semi-finals. He will probably need it. During the semi-finals, Djokovic spent almost 3½ hours on the field than his younger opponent.
“I will try to take one day at a time, really take care of my body, try to relax and recover,” said Djokovic in the early hours of the morning on Wednesday. “The next few days are really essential for me to really put my body in shape and ready to fight five sets if necessary.
“I would really love it, I would like to be in good shape to play – and potentially play five sets with Carlos. I know that my best tennis will be necessary, but I would increase on occasion.”
He admitted that he did not feel “very fresh at the moment” during his press conference after the quarter -finals but that he was full of hope. He also trusted his ability to “grind”, as he had done against Fritz, and to find additional equipment at the most crucial moments. “Just play with your heart and fight,” he said. “This is what really gave me the victory at the end.”
Although he is not entirely in his main form, Djokovic was a great enemy for the father’s time throughout his race in New York. He moved in the court with ease and was supported by his strong portion throughout. He is victorious in 92% of his service games and had 57 AS. Without forgetting, he also won 33% of his return matches.
“I think it is still well used, like, during his first services,” said Fritz on Tuesday evening. “He strikes his places well. He obtains a good amount of free points and ace … I think what is difficult in the past is the variation that there is in his second service.”
Djokovic’s third round opponent, Cameron Norrie, whom he had played six times before, was just as effusive in his praise.
“He has incredibly well served, perhaps the best he has ever served against me,” said Norrie. “I was really impressed by that.”
Ok, but Alcaraz is still the favorite to win the match, right?
Yes. There was no one more dominant throughout the fortnight than Alcaraz. Arriving in New York after winning the title in Cincinnati, he was the only man to reach the quarter -finals without dropping a set and he faced a single equality break in his five games. It was practically unstoppable, even against high -quality opponents.
Jiri Lehecka, seeded n ° 20 of the tournament that Alcaraz beat in the quarterfinals in less than two hours, said that Alcaraz – or the “version of Carlos’ great slam” – simply did better when it mattered the most.
“If you want to beat him, you have to win at least some of the big points, and he won them all,” Lehecka said on Tuesday. “Even when I played a very good rally, even when I tried to put it under pressure, to go on the net, to change the rhythm, to do something, he was there and he had an answer for everything I tried.”
And if all this was not enough, Alcaraz won 99% of his service games – all except one – in New York. He told journalists that his service had been his main objective for improvement in the past year and has credited this, and his consistency with his recent results.
“Tennis is really difficult sometimes, because one day you can serve very well, and the next match, you can feel completely different and really bad,” he said after defeating Lehecka. “So I try to keep the accent on service, try to do everything the same and have the right feeling.”
Alcaraz said he knew that Djokovic was “hungry” and had a “ambition for more” when he thought of their confrontation (then potential), but said that he had his own motivation: revenge. “Obviously,” he said on Tuesday, while referring to their previous matches.
So who will win this match?
One thing is certain: the two players will bring their best level and an unshakable desire to go to the final of Sunday.
Djokovic defeated Alcaraz on this surface during a big slam this season, so he knows exactly what to do to do it again. Most importantly, he thinks he can do it. He is also perfectly aware of the check clock in his career, and that he has only limited chances to realize his dream for 25 years.
But whether or not it will be motivating or debilitating in a high pressure situation remains to be seen after a series of outings in the semi-finals. Djokovic also knows that the more the match goes, the more the youngest and fastest it promotes, Alcaraz, so he will have to get out of the first point.
Alcaraz has none of this same weight on his shoulders. But what he has is confidence, and a game clicks on all cylinders. He has not faced a lot of adversity throughout his race, but if he can manage these moments, if and when they perform, and stay locked up, it certainly seems that it is his match to win.
Prediction: Alcaraz in four sets.
