As Novak Djokovic broke for the third and final time, Carlos Alcaraz tossed his racket towards his chair and trudged resignedly towards a fate that had long since become inevitable. The Spaniard, a player more noted for smiles than scowls, rarely shows such frustration, yet his exasperation was entirely understandable.
Alcaraz had just dominated one of the most extraordinary rallies of the week, whipping up a blizzard of scorching groundstrokes that had Djokovic charging from corner to corner, chasing lost causes, digging out balls often beyond the reach of men half his age. Finally, the Spaniard could sustain the bombardment no longer; a forehand flew long, and with it went whatever vestigial hope remained of a first ATP Finals title.
“It was an unbelievable point,” said Alcaraz after falling to a 6-3, 6-2 defeat. “I would say I couldn’t play better this point. Even then, I lost it. It’s a little bit frustrating for me to play my best tennis in that point [and lose it].”
Alcaraz is not the first to experience that sensation against Djokovic, and he is unlikely to be the last. It was just the kind of thrilling exchange most expected from the latest instalment of a rivalry that illuminated the sport this summer, a passage of play that put one in mind of Andy Roddick’s famous quip about throwing the kitchen sink at Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final, only for the Swiss to retreat to the bathroom and get the tub. In truth, though, there were precious few such moments.
This was not another edge-of-the-seat barnstormer in the mould of the Wimbledon and Cincinnati finals or the first two sets the pair played at Roland Garros, before Alcaraz was stricken with cramp. This was Djokovic at his clinical best, a player transformed from the one who was taken to a deciding set in each of his three group matches, losing to Jannik Sinner and advancing to the last four only after the Italian defeated Holger Rune. Alcaraz, whose victory over the Serbian world No 1 at the All England Club was hailed by some as a changing of the guard, never knew what hit him. It was, as Djokovic told the Italian crowd afterwards, “una prestazione perfetta” – a perfect performance.
“One of the best matches of the year in these circumstances, playing probably the biggest rival I had this year,” said Djokovic. “We had some epic matches. Actually, all three matches we played this year were marathon matches that went the distance.
“I think everyone expected, including probably both of us, that we’re going to have a long night, a big fight, a long match. I just managed to, I guess, step it up. When I broke his serve at 4-3 in the first set, [I] played a really flawless match until the end.
“[I] played great tennis, high level, put a lot of pressure on his service games, made him play. I served really well when I needed to. Best match of the week, one of the best matches of the year. Couldn’t be coming at a better time for me, considering that I maybe wasn’t playing my best tennis in the first three matches of the group stages. Tonight I played close to my very, very best.”
With a landmark seventh title firmly in his sights – he currently shares the record with Federer – Djokovic will now cross swords with Sinner for the second time in a week. The Italian, who saw off Daniil Medvedev in three sets in the first semi-final, has enjoyed raucous support from the home crowd in Turin, and he will need the locals to be at their partisan best again if he is to win what would be the biggest title of his career. Djokovic is hopeful he can make experience tell.
“He has been the best player of the tournament so far, won four out of four matches and played some great tennis,” said Djokovic, who described his midweek loss to Sinner as “a great preparation tool”.
“Obviously, [he is] riding on the big wave of support of his Italian crowd here. Tomorrow is the finals. He’s going for his first trophy, I’m going for my seventh in the year-end finals. I’ve been in these situations before. Hopefully, experience can help a bit. But I don’t think it’s going to prevail, because he’s been playing well, he’s going to have crowd on his side.
“I know what I expect. I think having already a match against him in this kind of atmosphere helps me prepare better. The performance of tonight really gives me good feelings ahead of tomorrow’s final, because I played my best match of the tournament so far.”
Alcaraz, meanwhile, can only ponder what might have been, although any such musings are likely to be brief. The Spaniard had a chance to get the jump on Djokovic in the opening game, where he made a typically flamboyant start only to see his hopes skewered by some clutch serving from the Serb. The immaculate length of Djokovic’s returns maintained unrelenting pressure on Alcaraz’s own delivery, and a trio of missed backhands in the eighth game spelled the beginning of the end.
Djokovic served out the set to love and, when he broke again three games into the second set, there would be no way back for Alcaraz, whose last throw of the dice came when he held two break points in the sixth game. Having seen the first snuffed out by another fine serve, Alcaraz dug in on the second, throwing everything he had at his rival only for Djokovic to conjure a stunning forehand pass on the 23rd shot of a lung-busting rally.
“[Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz’s coach] was telling me that I have to stay strong mentally, I have to stay strong there,” said Alcaraz. “But I couldn’t. I couldn’t.”
Few can when Djokovic is in this mood. Sinner can expect to have his work cut out.