Novak Djokovic clinched his third ATP Cincinnati Open title in a grueling battle against Carlos Alcaraz. The top-ranked players fought fiercely for almost four hours, with Djokovic surviving a match point and eventually prevailing 5-7, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/4). Despite appearing fatigued in the second set, Djokovic’s relentless resolve secured his victory, showcasing his determination on the court.
Following the match, Djokovic asserted, “It’s crazy, I don’t know what I can say. It’s tough to describe. It was the toughest I’ve ever played in my life.”
“From start to finish we both went through highs, lows, incredible points, bad games, heatstroke, comebacks. Overall this was the toughest and most exciting match I’ve ever been a part of. It’s matches like these that I continue to work for.”
In the burgeoning rivalry, 20-year-old top-ranked Alcaraz and 36-year-old Serbian star faced off again. The Serb avenged his Wimbledon loss to Alcaraz in a five-set final. Having alternated the number one rank six times this year, they now stand at two wins apiece in their head-to-head encounters.
“I feel proud of myself, honestly. I don’t know why I was crying because I fight until the last ball,” Alcaraz said.
“I almost beat one of the greatest of all time in our sport. I left the court really happy with what I did. The 20-year-old unleashed everything he had at Djokovic and found it wasn’t enough.”
“It was really, really difficult playing. Novak returns five, six, seven balls on every point,” Alcaraz said.
“So fighting and running from one corner to the other one on every point is really tough to deal with for almost the whole match. I left everything on court. I’m working very well. But today, it was tough to deal with everything that Novak had.”
Djokovic, who earned a record-extending 39th victory at the elite Masters 1000 level, secured the first break of the opening set at love for a 4-2 lead.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Updated: 21 Aug 2023, 10:24 AM IST
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