It seemed more like a heavyweight prize fight than a tennis match.
After staggering amid brutal conditions that exceeded 90 degrees, world No. 2 Novak Djokovic fought off a championship point and somehow found the strength and energy to defeat No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 in 3 hours, 49 minutes to win his third Western & Southern Open title in Mason, Ohio. It was the record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 title for the Serb, and the longest ATP Masters 1000 final ever played.
Djokovic’s 95th title moved him past Ivan Lendl for the third-most in the Open Era, and his 1,069th career win thrust him past Lendl and Rafael Nadal for the third-most in the Open Era.
Djokovic, 36, gained some measure of revenge for last month’s Wimbledon final, where the 20-year-old Alcaraz bested him in five sets to spoil the Serb’s bid for a calendar Grand Slam. Djokovic and Alcaraz have now split their four career matches.
“What’s at stake here is momentum and confidence going into the U.S. Open,” Jim Courier said on Tennis Channel.
If the tennis world is lucky, these two will meet again in the U.S. Open men’s final on Sept. 10 in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Alcaraz is the defending U.S. Open and Wimbledon champion, while Djokovic won the Australian and French Opens to start 2023.
Djokovic was playing his first tournament in the U.S. in two years after his vaccination status caused him to be unable to play here since the 2021 U.S. Open. He had won 17 of his previous 18 matches, losing only the Wimbledon final to Alcaraz.
It was the first day match this week for Djokovic, who had played all his matches at night under slower and cooler conditions. He was clearly bothered by the heat on a day when temperatures reached into the 90s and both players wore ice vests during crossovers. During the second set, a doctor had to give him tablets on court to combat heat exhaustion. The Serb left the court after both the first and second sets to change his kit and briefly refresh in the air conditioning.
In the decisive third set, Djokovic roared back to break Alcaraz on his fifth break chance for a 4-3 lead when Alcaraz smacked a two-handed backhand into the net.
Serving for the match at 5-4, Djokovic had a match point but couldn’t close it out in a game that lasted more than 12 minutes.
In the tiebreak, Alcaraz’s right hand appeared to cramp up and he had trouble holding the racquet to hit a forehand. But he fought back from 0-3 down to get it to 4-all.
Serving at 6-4, Djokovic finally won it when Alcaraz sailed a forehand return long, sending Djokovic to the court to lie on his back before the two men met and embraced. Soon Djokovic was ripping his shirt open down the middle in exhilaration.
In the first set, Alcaraz trailed 4-2 but broke Djokovic a second time for a 6-5 lead when he crushed a forehand down the line and the Serb deposited a forehand in the net.
In the next game, Djokovic appeared to be staggering on his feet after a long rally won by an Alcaraz crosscourt backhand. Two points later, Alcaraz seized the first set with a backhand winner down the line.
Alcaraz generally opted to slug it out from the baseline with Djokovic instead of attacking the net or utilizing the drop shot he loves so much.
After the first set, Djokovic left the court to change his kit, allowing him to get five minutes in air conditioning.
“He looked like he had heat stroke at the end of the opening set,” Jim Courier said on Tennis Channel.
In the second set, Alcaraz broke Djokovic for a 2-1 lead as the Serb looked increasingly gassed.
Djokovic showed signs of life, though, when he broke Alcaraz to get to 4-all in the second, causing his fans to wave flags and signs urging him to fight on.
After trailing 3-1 in the tiebreak, he won three straight, including a brilliant backhand passing shot, to go ahead 4-3.
With Djokovic serving at 5-6 in the breaker, he saved one match point with a big serve and even bigger forehand. With Djokovic serving at 8-7, he finally won the set when Alcaraz hit a backhand into the net during a long, grueling rally.
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