France's Novak Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 in the 2023 Roland Garros semi-finals, in a match where the young Spanish player suffered an injury.
Main developments of the Alcaraz - Djokovic match on June 9.
The most anticipated match in tennis this year saw the first two sets of high quality. But the next two sets were too uneven, when Alcaraz suffered from cramps. Being too eager to face and defeat Djokovic caused Alcaraz to have psychological problems during the match, leading to the unfortunate injury. Djokovic won easily thanks to his opponent's physical problems, to reach the Grand Slam final for the seventh time in the last eight appearances.
Alcaraz suffered a cramp in his right calf early in the third set. Photo: Reuters
Looking at the performance in the first two sets, Djokovic also deserves credit for his bravery and tenacity against a young and enthusiastic opponent. The opponent's impressive form seemed to spur Nole to play at the highest level. Alcaraz's heavy forehands could push opponents in the previous round back, but they did not overwhelm Djokovic. The Serb always returned the ball early, with almost perfect depth.
Djokovic constantly forced his junior to move and was unable to attack comfortably. Djokovic's ability to keep up with the pace and pressure caused Alcaraz to make many mistakes. Nole took a 4-1 lead, then stood firm against his junior's determination to come back. A 79% first-point winning rate and saving all four break-points helped Nole win the first set 6-3.
The first seven games of the second set saw no break points for either side, until Nole injured his arm, lost a pivotal serve game and trailed 3-5. Djokovic then showed his mettle, winning a serve game and saving three consecutive break points to tie the score at 5-5. But after missing the opportunity to take the lead in the next game, Djokovic lost the decisive serve game and lost the second set 5-7.
The first two sets saw many high-class plays from both sides, both technically and tactically. They both had high-class winners, but also made many unforced errors due to difficult shots, because their opponents defended excellently. The best play of the match came in game 3 of the second set, when Alcaraz scored a winner from a back-foot move to the back of the court, leaving Djokovic rooted to the net. The audience and Nole himself had to admire Alcaraz after the unbelievable scoring situation.
Djokovic injured his hand in the second set, but it did not affect his subsequent performances. Photo: AP
Alcaraz's excitement soon ran out at the beginning of the third set. Unfortunately, the 20-year-old Alcaraz suffered from cramps due to the stress and excitement after a series of mind games and skill matches with his senior. Djokovic went to ask about it but the problem was not simple for Alcaraz. Because he used the right to medical care when he had cramps at 1-1, Alcaraz was penalized for losing the game. The Spaniard accepted the loss of the service game to have time to recover. When he returned, everything slipped out of Alcaraz's control as he could not move or position himself well for his shots.
Alcaraz lost 10 games in a row after getting injured. Djokovic won the third set 6-1, then continued to lead 5-0 in the fourth. Alcaraz won one more game, then lost after more than three hours of play. In a clash between two generations with the largest age gap at a Grand Slam in the past 22 years, the 36-year-old player was more resilient and resilient than his opponent, 20 years his senior. Djokovic took a big step forward in his journey to claim a record 23 Grand Slam titles. In the final, he will face Alexander Zverev or Casper Ruud.
"I feel sorry for Alcaraz," Djokovic said after the match. "It's hard to decide whether to give up or continue fighting the way he did. Hopefully he recovers and comes back soon. When I met him at the net, I told him he's young and has a lot of time ahead of him. I'm sure he'll win Roland Garros many times. He's a great player, a good guy and deserves all the support."
Djokovic is in his 34th Grand Slam final, and the second oldest player to reach the final of Roland Garros in the tournament's history. If he wins, Nole will reclaim the world number one ranking from Alcaraz, and become the first player in the Open Era to win at least three Grand Slams.
Nhan Dat
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