Key events
*Alcaraz 2-6 6-2 6-3 3-2 Djokovic Early in the match, it was Djokovic hitting at Alcaraz’s forehand and breaking it down; now it’s the other way around. The kid makes 30-0, fires down two aces, and pressure switches back over to the other side of the net.
Alcaraz 2-6 6-2 6-3 2-2 Djokovic* Good work from Djokovic, who makes 30-0 in no time at all, as it occurs to me that his tennis prowess often leads us to overlook a hairline that is equally magisterial and robust. He then survives a rally in which he hoists a desperate lob, securing the hold with a drop; he’s still in this, just.
*Alcaraz 2-6 6-2 6-3 2-1 Djokovic A big return helps Djokovic to 0-15, but another sapping rally ends when he nets a backhand and this is almost cruel now, a kid beating his nan at kalooki by prolonging the game until she falls asleep. Alcaraz holds to 15, and Djokovic must now serve again; does he have anything left?
Alcaraz 2-6 6-2 6-3 1-1 Djokovic* Great hitting from both men but it’s Alcaraz with the Mary Poppins bag of solutions, whipping a forehand from centre to corner, then he stops in a rally long enough for the error to come, behaviour that has sustained Djokovic through nearly two decades; 0-30. Then, at 15-30, Djokovic swats a backhand long, the jig almost up, so he unloads on the next point and it works for him, before a T-serve allows the swing-volley clean-up; deuce and survival, for now. Alcaraz, though, is retrieving almost everything, making advantage then forcing Djokovic to hit 67 should-be-winners before a smash eventually takes us back level in the game. The sense, though, is that the breakthrough is inevitable and imminent, violent forehands pushing the Serb back before a delicate drop seals the point; an ace and we’re at our third deuce. But when he makes advantage, a ball into the tape won’t quite clamber over and the pressure increases yet further: both men know that if Alcaraz wins this game, it’ll feel like curtains, and more chasing and hitting earns him advantage and a fifth break point … but he wafts long. If Djokovic does hold here, though, the effort he’s putting in will impact him for the rest of the match, another big serve and swing-volley redeeming another advantage. We’ve been going nearly 12 minutes in this game … and again earning a chance to hold, this time Djokovic closes it out, though Alcaraz makes him chase about for the privilege. He celebrates then laughs; he knows what this is because he’s spent a lifetime imposing it upon others.
*Alcaraz 2-6 6-2 6-3 1-0 Djokovic I might be wrong, of course, regular readers will know how often I am, but it feels like Djokovic only has one big match a tournament in him these days and, the way the game now is, it’s almost inconceivable he can win a major without making it through two. What’s notable today is, first set aside, how many unforced errors he’s making – it almost feels like a trick of the eyes, so used are we to his metronomic brilliance. But really, it’s a factor of tiredness, and Alcaraz, fresh as you like holds to love and is away in set four.
Carlos Alcaraz takes the third set 6-3 to lead Novak Djokovic 2-1
Alcaraz 2-6 6-2 6-3 Djokovic* Eeesh, a double donates 0-15 though, real talk, the second serve would’ve got the treatment had it somehow kriched over the net. A fine backhand to the corner then makes 0-30, more classy net-play 0-40, and Alcaraz has three set points. The first is confiscated with a succession of forehands, the second also removed with djokovician excellence, then an ace out wide brings us to deuce. But have a look! A gorgeous drop, floated down the line, leaves Djokovic standing … then an overhit return makes it four set points saved. When he makes his own advantage, though, the Serb can’t close out, missing a forehand down the line – that looked a weary effort – and when he again raises game point, a weak second serve invites his opponent into the rally. That aspect of his game was amazing on Friday, but it’s just not there for him now, and consecutive errors tamely hand over a set that Alcaraz dominated. He’s a set away from becoming the youngest man to win a career grand slam; Djokovic needs yet another miracle.
*Alcaraz 2-6 6-2 5-3 Djokovic Another great rally opens the game but Alcaraz is winning the longer points – he’s 7-2 over 10 shots – and if you take away an advantage Djokovic has had more or less his entire career, he has a problem. A drop soon makes 30-0, but a lush forehand return and overhead putaway mean that at 40-30, there’s pressure. Djokovic, though, can’t control his net return, so must now serve to stay in set three.
Alcaraz 2-6 6-2 4-3 Djokovic* Alcaraz might be the best mover I’ve ever seen, quick and lithe, with a low centre of gravity. But what sets him apart is his anticipation and his ability to think perceptively at high speed and high fatigue, which is to say he’s again saluting the crowd after yet more unreal behaviour sees him magic a winner from the corner. It makes 15-all, and though Djokovic holds from there, he’s finding it tough going.
*Alcaraz 2-6 6-2 4-2 Djokovic It’s my job to be honest, not to avoid looking stupid, as if I could, so I’m going to level with you: my sense is that this contest is only going one way. Djokovic doesn’t, I don’t think, have the legs to hang with Alcaraz over five. And, though he makes 15-all with a drop, how early in the rally he went to it suggests he’s feeling the pace. He does, though, find his way to 30-all … but, sent out wide with the serve, he can’t get close to the clean-up flipped into the opposite corner, then a body-serve is backed up with another of those oblique backhands, the break endorsed, and Alcaraz’s tattooist might want to get his kangaroo perfected.
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Alcaraz 2-6 6-2 3-2 Djokovic* A double donates 0-15 them, caught at net having played a poor approach, Djokovic is passed and you fear for him. Alcaraz does then overhit a rally ball for 15-30, but when an inside-out backhand falls wide, he has two break points, and when he sends his man to the corner, the riposte is well wide, and Alcaraz is now in control of this final. If Djokovic can wrest it back, it’ll be one the most insane things we’ve ever seen, even from him.
*Alcaraz 2-6 6-2 2-2 Djokovic Chalé! Alcaraz to the corner, Djokovic with the lob; Alcaraz with the overhead, Djokovic with the get; Alcaraz with the backhand, Djokovic with the shot down the side of the post; Alcaraz with the stretch and get, saluting the crowd, cupping ear. The absolute state of these two, mates; we are privileged to be living in their time, the ability to think with clarity and creativity while charging about like nutters absolutely mind-boggling. We wind up at 30-all and these are the biggest moments of the match so far, Djokovic unloading off both flanks, Alcaraz defending … before again suddenly altering momentum by inventing an angle so acute it barely exists, a forehand winner whipped cross breaking the sideline at the service box. Pythagoras has nothing on the magician from Murcia, and he soon closes out a crucial hold.
Alcaraz 2-6 6-2 1-2 Djokovic* Djokovic pats over a drop for 15-0, then opens shoulders for an inside-out forehand winner; better from him. More excellent hitting then makes 40-0, the partially closed roof presumably aiding hard, flat balls sent down the line, and a service winner seals a resounding hold. If Alcaraz takes this set, it’s hard to see Djokovic winning two on the spin, but if Djokovic does? We’re on the cusp of an all time great sporting achievement.
*Alcaraz 2-6 6-2 1-1 Djokovic Oh my days! We go backhand to backhand, Djokovic giving it loads before seizing on an inside-out forehand to have Alcaraz in trouble, only for an oblique backhand cross to float past him; that might be the shot of the match so far, the left wrist breaking a bit like it did when Kevin Pietersen played the flamingo pull. In seconds, the love hold is in the books, and though only an idiot would write off Djokovic, I am a) seeing Alcaraz dominating now and b) an idiot.
Alcaraz 2-6 6-2 0-1 Djokovic* And it’s also worth noting that Alcaraz can play a lot better than he has so far, but in the meantime, there’s a row: they’re closing the roof pretty significantly, though it’s not raining, and the youngster –I think that’s the first time I’ve called anyone that, ichsa – isn’t happy. He’s doing nicely as is, the wind helping him, bit more generally, he’s right: this is an outdoor tournament. Djokovic, meanwhile, has nipped off court, but I imagine he’ll like what he finds on return, the purer ball-striker now able to play percentages more easily. For what it’s worth, I don’t think it’ll matter – Alcaraz is on top and I think he’ll stay there, making 0-30 as I type. But goodness me, the point that follows, Djokovic hitting a drop, Alcaraz retrieving it, then playing a tweener-lob after being lobbed himself, the overhead putaway far from easy. Phew! A service winner follows, then a return into the net, but trying to finish the game, a netted forehand brings us to deuce and we learn that it’s raining nearby, hence the preemptively closed roof. Alcaraz then nets a forehand, and Djokovic secures a crucial, essential hold.
Carlos Alcaraz takes the second set 6-2 to level with Novak Djokovic at one set all
*Alcaraz 2-6 6-2 Djokovic Our four breaks in the match have all come from the same end, serving into the wind from to the right of the chair and that’s where Alcaraz is now. And he finds himself down 0-15, but two unforced errors move him two points away from the set, then a big serve and putaway at the net make 40-15 and two set points. Another big serve, a return into the net, and there it is. Djokovic has to find his first-set level, and if he cannot, this’ll be over quickly; Alcaraz is so good, only perfection or close to it will be enough.
Alcaraz 2-6 5-2 Djokovic* I guess Djokovic hit such a level in set one that there was always likely to be a drop-off in two, just as Alcaraz was always likely to improve, and at 15-all, he chases down a ball to the corner then, legs akimbo, scorches a backhand winner down the line. Gosh, and when Djokovic nets a backhand, he donates two points for the double-break, saving the first when a return goes awry … only to then net his +1 forehand. This match is racing at pace, and Alcaraz will shortly serve for a set apiece.
*Alcaraz 2-6 4-2 Djokovic Alcaraz goes inside-out on the forehand for a winner – he’s getting used to conditions, I think – and an ace down the T for 40-0 confirms the suspicion. He’s the better player now, a service winner securing a love hold, but don’t be surprised to see Djokovic find another level, if not in this set, at the start of the next.
Alcaraz 2-6 3-2 Djokovic* Djokovic races to 30-0 then, offered a slow second serve, Alcraz can only net his backhand return. We do, they, make 40-15 when the next return hits the net cord, Djokovic watches it drop and bounce … on the line, when it looks like going out. No matter: he quickly closes out his hold, increasing the pressure on the next game.
*Alcaraz 2-6 3-1 Djokovic A inside-out backhand on to the outside of the sideline, and Djokovic has 0-15; it won’t have escaped his attention that the break was more donated than snatched. An ace down the T levels the game, but then Alcaraz tries to put away a volley he could’ve left and again, he’s under it. Djokovic, though, returns long, another sign he’s dipping, but his opponent isn’t at his best, overhitting to offer up break-back point. A forehand larruped long, though, takes us to deuce, then when Djokovic explodes into the next rally, Alcaraz sticks in the rally then flicks momentum with one amazing get, securing the consolidation with his man doing the splits at net. He’s not close to his best yet, but he’s a bit better and if both players continue playing as they are now, his speed and endurance makes him favourite.
Alcaraz 2-6 2-1 Djokovic* After an emphatic hold, Alcaraz will want to up the pressure on return, and he makes 15-all when Djokovic overhits a forehand. Then, though he can’t properly get after a slow second serve, when he whams a forehand into the tape, the ball leaps up and drops on to the other side because the wind billows the net at the key moment; 15-30, and a sniff. So Djokovic unloads on the forehand, dictating, only to go for too much inside-out when he had plenty at which to aim, and here come two break points. And, whether they’re taken or not, the Serb has cooled, directing a forehand wide to cede the break. Might this be a shift in momentum?
*Alcaraz 2-6 1-1 Djokovic Better from Alcaraz, making 30-0 with a big forehand, then just about surviving a lob and a pass when caught at net. An ace down the T follows, and is he getting his game going?
Alcaraz 2-6 0-1 Djokovic* Alcaraz needs to force his way into this match and, without doing too much, makes 0-30; already, he has more points on return that he did in the first set. But it’s soon 30-all and a nails second serve then means a chance to close out, and though Alcaraz takes us to deuce, from there Djokovic does the necessary, the game secured with a drop to emphasise the totality of the tousing that’s currently being administered.
Krishnamoorthy V emails in offering Mondo Duplantis as a sportsman of Djokovic’s level and he is indeed, but I’m not sure we can put pole vaulting on the same level as tennis. Either way, he’s already there with your Usain Bolts and your Wayne Gretzkys of this world, but below the Muhammads Ali because he stood – ands stands – for more than simply being brilliant.
Novak Djokovic takes the first set against Carlos Alcaraz 6-2
*Alcaraz 2-6 Djokovic So far, Djokovic is doing a really good job of cramping Alcaraz, denying him time and space to conjure. The line balls come quicker than the cross ones, as they’ve less distance to cover and, at 15-all, he again dictates, seizing on a short ball to hit a winner that takes him two points away from the set. the knowhow and feel for what a rally requires is outrageous and though Alcaraz has changed up the last couple of rallies, giving his shots a bit more air, Djokovic punishes a forehand winner from way behind the baseline to raise two set points! Them, though a serve takes out wide, he somehow stretches an elastic arm to squash shot an acute response that zips cross and low over the net, again inciting the error. A perfect set (of tennis) from Djokovic and a doing of shocking, not at all shocking proportions.
Alcaraz 2-5 Djokovic*At 15-0, we go forehand to forehand cross to forehand cross, Djokovic lasting the longer, then a first serve allows a volley for 40-0, an unreturned delivery securing another hold; so far he’s only conceded two points on serve, is a game away from the set, and we must never ever allow the absurd to become mundane. Djokovic is already the greatest male tenniser ever; if he wins this, it’ll be hard to make a case that there are many greater than him in any sport.
*Alcaraz 2-4 Djokovic Alcaraz is we’re told “playing catch-up”, so a question: did that phrase exist before Going for Gold, or is it in our lexicon solely because of Henry Kelly? And now he’s playing it in the game, down 0-30; Djokovic is attacking his forehand and the tactic is working well. But he’s yelping in disappointment when, having worked the opportunity for another line winner, he overhits, then drops a ball fractionally long for 30-all. A big serve then sets up game point, secured with a pair of forehands.
Alcaraz 1-4 Djokovic* Alcaraz makes 15-0, Djokovic retorts with an ace, the way he’s sneakily become one of the best servers ever, in his 30s, a ludicrous state of affairs. So far, he’s made one unforced error, dialled into the match like the opening scene of Once Upon A Time In America. He consolidates comfortably, and so far has played near-enough perfectly.
*Alcaraz 1-3 Djokovic Terrific hitting from both players, but a mistimed backhand, on the stretch, offers Djokovic a loopy trajectory and friendly bounce; he duly dematerialises an inside-out forehand winner for 0-15. A drop, though, and Alcaraz is level – I’m sure he’ll want to test his man running forwards, not just side to side – but consecutive errors and at 30-40, Djokovic has break point. We are talking. Though another drop, from mid-court, is too good, another Alcaraz error – unforced if we’re being strict, but the pressure he was under brought it about – earns Djokovic another opportunity, saved by some big hitting, only for another mistake to put him under pressure again. And this time, the rally of the match ensues, Alacaraz on top then suddenly asked to retrieve, which he does well. But the purity of Djokovic’s ball-striking is too much: he’s not going for corners but he is contrloling the pace, securing the break. He is quite good at tennis.
“This is going to be a wonderful contest,” writes Kim Thonger, “but I do wish the major tournaments would set more exacting and tasteful standards of dress. Long white trousers and proper shirts were so elegant, as evidenced here…”
Anything, other than whatever they put Sinner in, is better than Alcaraz’s vests. The line green he wore on Friday was better, but still, he deserves better.
Alcaraz 1-2 Djokovic* A love hold for Djokovic, and if the serving continues as it’s started, we’re going to have some serious tension towards the end of sets.
“Hi from snowy Sweden,” begins Juliian Menz. “I’ve been watching tennis since the Borg/McEnroe days. I remember Becker, Sampras, it’s a long list. More recently, the glorious grace of Federer, the brilliance of prime Nadal, it’s a long list. As tennis fans, we are truly blessed now though. The sheer audacity of Djokovic to cast aside his Zimmer frame and beat the almost indestructible Sinner. The mere fact that we are witnessing a talent like Alcaraz.”
Agreed in all aspects, but it’s worth noting that until Friday, this tournament was a disappointment: no close matches and the feeling the final was inevitable. As Djokovic ages, I fear that’ll become increasingly the case: some amazing finals, some meh first 10 days.
*Alcaraz 1-1 Djokovic An ace out wide to open, and both these freaks of nature look loose, Friday out of their system for now. Djokovic then send a line backhand into the net – the shot worked really well against Sinner, but Alcaraz is a little lighter on his feet and also quicker, so he might cope better. We quickly reach 40-0, then a forehand winner merely helped down the line brings the goat into the game – these are the shots he’s relying on – but an overhead then secures another dominant hold.
Alcaraz 0-1 Djokovic* (*denotes server) Djokovic starts well, a serve out wide allowing a forehand into the space which effectively wins the point, then a return into the tape is followed by a wrong-footing backhand; 40-0. So Alcaraz announces himself, hooking a forehand into the corner which facilitates the putaway at net – he’ll feel better for that, though his next return flies long, sealing a confident hold.
You could cut the atmosphere with an atmosphere-cutter. Djokovic to serve – Alcaraz opted to receive – ready, play.
Does Djokovic think this is his last chance? He’s on his favourite court – in terms fo dominance – and his two young rivals will only get better as he fades. It’s not too hot, it’d dark, he’s not wearing sunglasses. Hit it.
And here they come!
Our players are ready to come out. This is going to be special.
I keep saying it, but it bears repetition: we’re at the start of a golden age in women’s tennis. Sabalenka, Rybakina, Gauff, Swiatek and Osaka at their peaks, Anisimova coming, Andreeva getting there, then Mboko, Baptiste and Jovic on the match; ooooh yeah.
I’ve recently realised that I might be obsessive, and one of my currents, as per the preamble, is love in sport. So here’s something on that.
It’s really windy in Melbourne, and the roof may close at some point, as there’s a threat of rain, but for now, it’s open and the conditions will, presumably, favour Alcaraz’s extra power and creativity.
On which point, how does Lorenzo Musetti feel today? Like Griggzy Dimitrov and Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon, he was two sets up – on Djokovic – only for injury to intervene. And how on earth did Djokovic dredge up the performance he did in the next round?
Email! “I saw a forward yesterday,” begins Krishnamoorthy V, “where a Damien Omen-ish young Alcaraz is beaming at the camera with Djokovic in the background on the court. Am sure Djoker must regret inspiring this boy faced assassin. One thing I have learned in the last 25 years is never to bet on an outcome when Djokovic is playing. Even though form and age supports the second of the history that you mentioned to cone through, on the other side is Djokovic, who has cheated death so frequently that the grim reaper has vacated his post code. Today’s match shall however answer the age old paradox: what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?”
It’s amazing isn’t it? Djokovic saw off his own generation, the generation after him, and now he’s working his way through a third.
Those semis, though. The 1990 FA Cup, Italia 90, Germany 06, World snooker 2020; there are others, but this is the exulted company in which our Friday now sits. Only one, though, the first, could be said to have delivered a final of similar standard.
Some numbers: in five-set matches, Djokokic is … 43-11; Alcaraz is … 15-1. Ridiculous behaviour in both aspects.
Oh, and in matches over 3 hr 45 min, Jannik Sinner is … 0-8.
So who’s going to win? I guess it depends a lot on who’s the fitter, but if Alcaraz’s semi-final issue was “only” cramp, you have to favour him. He should be well recovered from that, so the length of the matches might take more out of Djokovic.
On the other hand, if Djokovic serves as well as he can, he’ll be very difficult to stop. Alcaraz doesn’t find it easy against him, and he can expect to be spending plenty of time retrieving from the corners, especially from groundstrokes down the line. But ultimately, Alcaraz’s speed about the court and ability to conjure winners from any position make me lean towards him.
Preamble
Over the 74,301 years he’s been playing tennis, warming to Novak Djokovic hasn’t always been easy. And the man himself knows it, frequently bristling at sleights perceived, imagined and real, his 24 grand slam titles unable to replace the basic need to feel loved.
What we all learn from Djokovic, though – what even Djokovic himself can learn from Djokovic – is how to execute the perennially torturous business of loving yourself. He knows exactly who he is, exactly what he’s worth and exactly what he needs, which is how he comes to be exactly where he is: in yet another major final, his 38th.
To do as he’s done – reaching this stage for the first time in 18 months, aged 38, having outlasted Jannik Sinner, 14 years his junior, in the semi-finals – is an act of self-love barely believable in its intensity. Playing tennis is really, really hard. Practice is repetitive and gruelling, so too the travel, and the mental toll of putting a body and a life through that, with a young family at home and a wider world believing his time has gone – risking defeat for victory, to opponents he would once have devastated – is a lesson in trust and respect, curiosity and hope, a fearless desire to back yourself no matter what. May we all learn it well.
In Carlos Alcaraz, though, he meets an almost-child who somehow knows all of this already, as comfortable in his own soul as anyone roaming the planet. A break down in the final set of his semi, he knew that if he kept being himself, the cosmos would ultimately bend to his will, and even if it didn’t, he’d still be who he is. It’s arguable that no one, ever, in any sport, has kept the scales of nice boy and killer, of playing for fun and for your life, balanced in such glorious equilibrium.
Both players are playing for (yet more) history. If Djokovic wins – and, despite it all, he’ll not get many more opportunities – he goes out alone on 25 majors won, one more than Margaret Court. And if Alcaraz wins – despite it all, even he can’t defeat time – he becomes the youngest man to complete the career grand slam, at 22 years and eight months, three months younger than Don Budge was in 1938. This is about tennis, sure, but more than anything, it’s about everything it takes to exist and thrive as a human being.
Play: 7.30pm local, 8.30am GMT
