Djokovic shrugs off physical struggles, match point to beat Alcaraz in 4 hour classic at Cincinnati masters

 

Novak Djokovic countered physical struggles in extreme heat and   saved championship point in 2nd set tie break at 5-6  to deny Carlos Alcaraz  a win in a four hour  3 set classic in  jaw-dropping Cincinnati final at Ohio. 

Djokovic won one of the best tennis matches in recent memory on Sunday when he saved one championship point en route to a 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) victory against world number one  Carlos Alcaraz.  

The 36-year-old rallied from a set and a break down & fought off his own physical struggles in set 1 against the World No. 1 and saved a championship point at 5-6 in the second-set tie-break to earn a record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 title. Djokovic missed an  opportunity to serve for the title at 5-4 in the third set, but he bounced back in the final tiebreaker to triumph in typical Djokovic style after a gripping three hours and 49 minutes in which both men showed sensational shotmaking and mental toughness . It was the longest best-of-three final in ATP Tour history (since 1990).

Djokovic said after the match ,  "Crazy. Honestly, I don't know what else I can say. Tough to describe. Definitely one of the toughest matches I've ever played in my life, regardless what tournament, what category, what level, what player. It's unbelievable , From the beginning 'till the end we've both been through so much, so many ups and downs, highs and lows, incredible points, poor games, heat strokes, coming back. Just overall, one of the toughest and most exciting matches I was ever part of and these are the kinds of moments and matches that I continue to work for day in day out. I was never in doubt that I can deliver the 'A' game when it mattered the most and I am just thrilled.”

World No. 1 Alcaraz who was the favourite to win ,  seemed in full control leading by a set and a break and with Djokovic still physically struggling after squandering a 4-2 lead in set one  . The Spaniard,  16 years Djokovic's junior ,  was two holds from capturing his seventh trophy of the season. This was on the back of a memorable Wimbledon final in which Alcaraz upset Djokovic in five sets to end his opponent’s dreams of becoming the first man to win the Grand Slam .

Djokovic extracted sweet revenge at  Ohio and though Alcaraz leaves Cincinnati as the No. 1 player in the  ATP Rankings.  However Djokovic is just 20 points behind Alcaraz now . 

A visibly emotional Alcaraz showed great respect to Djokovic after the final  saying 

”It's amazing playing against you, sharing the court with you, learning from you, This match was really close, but I learned a lot from a champion like you. So congratulations to you and your team.”

Djokovic was visibly struggling with the intense Cincinnati heat and was unable to find an answer against the top seed . It also seemed from his body language that he may not be able to finish the match . But one poor Alcaraz service game at 4-3 in the second set boosted his morale and brought him back to life as well before which  it looked like Alcaraz will cruise through in the 2nd set with Djokovic physically struggling .

Evening was setting in while the 2nd set was reaching its climax while the extreme heat conditions subsided which definitely helped Djokovic to revive physically . Djokovic had earlier played all his previous matches in the evening in this event . 

By the final-set tie-break, it was the 20-year-old who was struggling physically, cramping in his right hand. Djokovic finally converted his fifth championship point and fell to the court in celebration. 

The Serb escaped defeat in the second-set tie-break, in which he saved championship point behind his serve at 5-6 with a big serve-forehand combination . Djokovic found his best tennis in the critical moments to triumph. With the win Djokovic moved into outright third on the list of most career match wins with 1,069, passing both Rafael Nadal and Ivan Lendl, trailing only Jimmy Connors (1,274) and Roger Federer (1,251). This promising rivalry is 2-2 head to head and one wished that Djokovic had been 5-6 years younger than currently  36,  for this rivalry to go on for several years more .

“This rivalry just gets better. It gets better and better,” Djokovic said. “Amazing player. Tonnes of respect for him. For such a young player to show so much poise in important moments is impressive.”

Djokovic also exchanged a bit of banter with Alcaraz after the game as follows 

"You never give up man, Jesus Christ." ::  Djokovic

 "Spaniards never die":   Alcaraz 

"I've experienced this before":  Djokovic ( maybe also referring to his age old classic bouts with Nadal ) 

This was a  legendary exchange.